From the Hebrides to
the Himalayas
Constance Frederica Gordon- Gumming
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FEOM THE
HEBEIDES
TO
THE HIMALAYAS.
^ Slitfcb of C?igbtcciv l^tontbs’ 5$l;mbtrings in ©Ifstern
^^slcs unb (^iistfrn Ijigbhmbs.
nv
CONSTANCE F. (JORDON GUMMING.
** 0»me o'er the givru iulln to the Mimiiy sen.
Tlie t)uuii<neHi» .^Q that waxhe^ many lamis ;
Where Hhellft unknown to Kiiglami. fair ami free,
Lie brightly arattered on the gleaming aantla.
There, 'mid the hush of slmnb’rotia ocean’s roar,
We'll sit ami watch the silver tissued waves
Creep languidly along the liasking shore.
Kissing thy gentle fert like eastern hIsvcs."
JX 7’iro VOLVMKii.-VOL. II.
I.ONDDX;
SAMPSON LOW, JUARSTOX, SEARI.K, AND RIVIXOTOX,
C’UOWN mni.nixos, iss. ki.ket .stheet.
[Aft IliqhfiK /V-wriYi/. ]
. e. JiS-f
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LONDON :
k- CI.AY, SONS AND TATDR, PRlNTKnS
l<RR«n *sTRRKr im.L
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CO XT ENTS.
riiAriKit I
“aGRA. — A CHAI'TKK Uf Sl'fKltl.ATI VE.S.’’
l-Mir
MohniiiTn*-ilaii of — M;trvf II oub TqiuKh aiiii rai-yytl nf purt-tit
Wliite .Marlili-— Oriiiital “Kith ami Kin*’ l^ive— “ Samlal Woml’’ (iatia
of Soiniintli- Futlcviwn' Sii ii, ili>‘ KiiiiH'inr Aklmr's f»is.ikeii (.'ily , ■ 1
CIIAI’lKli 11.
WAVUa OK >Airil ON TllK SKA uf TIMH.
lliiiilii Citifauf Miiltra ami liiiiilnilniiiil— A Skvti li of tlir siims.»ivo yiiitlia
wliiih liivt) piiivaili'il in IlimliiBtiiii — AhoriKinal — l‘»iv Aryan —
liiK'-thcr yrotliii-iiij; Hraliiiiiiiisin— Bmlilhiat— Jiiin— Hniliiiiin
— Moliaiiiimalttii— Kow toliTatioii of All — Ituanrios ; tin ir uii;;iii . ■ . ‘Jl
CKAPTHU nr.
llKI.lll AMI MKKKIT.
Tlig "Mat City of the Mo^iila — A WiMci mas of ili^lity Kiiiiia — A Hritish
Militan' Si-ttleliiant — Sofinl Life — HM ('liiirolivnnl— Tlio Mirror of t)n;
Sun — Itiiu'raiit Morcliaiita — Juatlira — Snaka Cliariiiort— Xalivc t<<'rriiiita
— AMiorrciup of the Aw Xativi' viewa of making 1‘ictim'H— Roman ( u -
tliolic (.‘atliPilml of Sinlanliii — K i li'siastiral Wags — A Itrffiniont on tlii'
Maivh ■ . . . . . . . . . . . 5]
CMAPTEl! IV
HmM TUB [■[..USs To TllK Ull.l.^.
fininJ Darliur at l/inlmlla— Lonl Mayo I'O-rivo!* tin- Anii'or of Affghau — Uar-
liaric I’oiii]! — Artilleiy Caiiii‘1 ( oi|w— Eastcni I'lUirtoMos — A Diivo to
Knika in tlio ('arriaj'r of tlio Comitiy — First Si;>lit of tile ]liinuluyna — A
•louniey in .Iuui|uina to Simla KirHi Kx|silition to a Hill Tiini'K —
Tliiiiolor Storm— S('ail< t l!lio'li»li lolrons
^G
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IV
CONTENTS.
SI MI. A.
i»*ny
View of the Snowy Range — Life in the HilU— A uovel Craille — Toilaoiue
IMensures — Phoiiphorpsifnt liisccts aiiJ Gras.K‘9 — WTiite and Brown
Monkeys — Glories of Colour — Kaslinu-re Merchanta — Mity Day — N’ojgy
Insects — Deficient Water Siiiiply — Start for the Valley of the Sutlej —
A Fair in the Forest — Meirv-go-rouiids— C’oltie Brooch anJ Plaid —
Wilderness of AVild Roses ami Sweet .lessamine — A green Glade, nnigne
— Fires in the Forest — Divers Altitudes, niaikeil by diversity of Vej^^ta -
tiun —Varieties of Phea.santa . . . ■ lUt
CHAPTER VI.
rSDKit i;anvas.
Varieties of Timber — March to tlie Mission Station of Kotuliur— Devil
Worsliip — Tea Plmitat'uns — Descent from the Temperate Zone to the
Tropica— Gorite of the Sutlej — Meet Merchants from Thibet— Ramtioro.
City of Rama — The Hajah— Ivantages of an English Eilncalion —
Wild Apricots — Eastern Higlilamlers — .Spinning — Ark Worship— Sa -
irilice— Sacn-ii Pances — SaenMl Tives- A Halt at Serahan — \ fon-e<l
March — Precipice where Sir A. Lawrence was Killed — Cholera — The
Valley of Death— Poimlah Rest House 147
CHAPTER Vll,
TUK CEDAR SHADB.
yuiiKeri Forest — I'reserveil by request of l>ailv Canning — Timber, how con -
A'eyed to the riaiiis— Cellar M’ikhI Bridges — Method of Smoking —Camp
twside the Forest Temple at Nachar— Tender Mercy of Katives to their
own Sick! — l^eopanl Doi^s — Roliiu.sou Crusoe — ^Fellow Travellers — How
Roads am made along the face of Precipitous Rocks — Meeting Sportsmen
at Rogi— Anialgamated Dinners ! — Snow Peaks — Oatlicrun; the Apricot
Crop — Fahnri Hone.sty — Startling Marriagi- Customs— Baggage Goats —
Varying altitude of Eternal Snow in Enro|ie and A.sia— lee Pillars —
' Gnarhsl Cedars on Stuiieniloiis Fri-cipiccs— laivcly Villages of Pangi
and Chini — Vineyanls -Beyond reaidi of ‘the Rains’ — The Yak of
Thibet 1S8
(CHAPTER Vlir.
A rKKP INTO ( IIINK.se tahtary.
Itiiddhist Teniide — Prayer Wheels of all Sires — Reference to the iSaered
Wheel of many Faiths— Inseriptiona on Sacred Stones — Sunwise Tunis
— Travellers’ Stories — E>lible Pine Nuts — Crossing the Sntlej by a
Rope Bridge — A Rc.scried Village — Temple at Killa— Difficult Expedi -
tion to a Forest Sainliiary— Gigantic Cedars — Oiir Itrown Sisters ■ . ■ t!lS
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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IX.
CHILDKKN or THK MIST.
PAO»
A D>‘scent from ParaJise into tlie Raiua — Men Mutilated by Bi-ara — Our
Hinmlayan Shet'p Doga — HaMo Foreat — Wild Tfaundergtonna — Keturii
to Simla— Ufa ill a Miat— Swial Life uiuler Difflcultii'a— Fn>ni Siiii’.a to
Masguurie and I^andour. — A Troublesome Night Mareh—WiM DaUliaa—
The Coavent —Ferns — Cuatoma of the Hill Tribes — Utiury and Slavery
— Viewa of the Plaina and of the Snowy Range — (ijant FoaaiU —
Game ‘iwil
CHAPTER X,
FIIDM M.tSSOLRIF. TO HARDWAH.
Dehro Doon — t!reat Sikh Tonih— OriKin of the Sikha— Rainboo Grove —
Ita Uses — Sight March throngit the Foreata to Jiardwar — Sacred City of
Krishna near the Source of the Gangea — Indian Graaaes — Flooded Rivera
— Pictnrea<iue Bazaar and Temples — The Great Gangee Canal — Great
Fair — Fearful AoiiJeiit — Mesmeric Ciirea— Daily Life of an Idol at
Home — Braseii aiul Marble Bulla — Our Island — Source of the Ganttea —
Town of Kaiithal — Feast of I.Jtiitoma — Return to I>ehra — Night Alarms
of Elei'lianta — A Tlioiiaaini Miles by Kail to Benares 291
CHAPTER XL
nfiXARKS.
&-nar<-a — The Sacred City of Siva — Its Variona Changes — Life in a City
wholly given to IJolatory — Tomplea -Eccleaiastical Bazaars— AaceiiJ a
Minaret of the Great Mosque — General View of the City and of the
Ruined City of Buddha— Astronomical Observatory on a C'oloaaal
Scale — England’s Gifts to Inilin — Miaaionarica and Shiploads of Idola
from Dirmingham ! — Mod Idols — The ReliRiona Practice of “ Hubsidiim"
— Brahmins — Not all of Pure Itlooil — Many of Aboriginal Descent —
Coolin Brahmina — Wonderfully Pietuiesgue Life on the River —
Bathera— Worshippers — Religioms C'crenionieg of all Sorts — BomiPK
Ohauts — Hindu Women — Invention of Cliesa hy an Indian Queen. ■ 329
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r
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UST OF ILLUSTRATlONfi.
r*oc
TiIK TaJ iMAIIAL, Ar.HA Tn faer 1
Tiik Kiioti'Ii, nr.i.iti Tufner r>6
TiIK .'<S0WV HaNOB, FliOM liAHA' I.on(iK, SlMLA To furr H.?
Tiik Sndwv Uasok, yAKKANiiA Tnfnet 139
liAMFoKE, “The City df Kama” Tofmr iriO
Thk Abk iiF tiik Veii.f.i* Idol IfiS
Thf. KrsDA 166
.. 169
The Okau Cuff 178
On; CAMFiNO-onofNii AT Xai’iiar To fact 187
The lioni Cuff (Ikf.at Kyi.aa To fare 191
l)EoriAR« AT PaN<!I Tofiur 210
Snowy Uanok phom Tanoi. Thk Viu.aok on tiik Cuff . . To foot 211
CiMii.iF.’x TisnF.n-nox 212
A MmSTAIN I’ATIllAKrlt 214
(iBAHHOTYFR OF PraYKR-WHKP.I. AND Brooi H 219
Kiicda of a Poor Viu.AOK ... . 221
I.AROR PhaYKR-WHF.KI. IN TIIK I.AMA TkMI’LK AT UaHI NO 22.3
Watf.r Prayer-wiikki ■ 22.3
Po<-KET PllAVKR CyUNDF.R 226
Pravkr Dri'm 228
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
viii
PACK
A I’F.EP INTO ClIINKSK. Taiit.ahv Ta faff. 245
t'no.‘4siNc TiiK SuTl.FJ nv A .Ii’i.A OR UoPK Briihjf. To face 247
Temple at Kii.ba To fact 252
Hatto Forest To face 270
(.'BOS8INO THE (JoCORA 278
Snowv Ranoe fko.m Massoukie, LanhoCk To fact 283
Plain.s from Mas.hourie To face 284
Hardwar To face 300
I!p.nare.s To face 829
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■ I ,
FROM THE HEBRIDES
TO THE
HIMALAYAS.
CIIAITEl! I.
AOUA. — A CHAPTKR OK SL'PEKLATIVI-3.
•' A j»lace lifting to cttrnal summer
Its marble balls, from out a gloasy bower
Of coolest foliage, musical with birds "
We were speaking some time ago of llie relative joys of sight
and hearing, and observing the curious fact that nine people out
of ten say they would rather be deaf than blind. 1 think one
half hour in Agra would convince tliem that no wealth of words
falling on the most willing ear could ever convey the e.xceeding
delight with which the eye at one rapid glance fills the whole
mind in jiresence of any beautiful object whatsoever. And of
all the lovely things in creation, whether of nature or of art,
none hius ever conveyed, to my mind at least, the exquisite
delight of that fairylike, snowy, palace-among-tombs, the Taj
Mahal ; but as to conveying the faintest impression of it in
words, or with black-and-white engravings, why the attempt is
mere folly.
In olden days, the Eastern poet Sadi complained that his
friends could not sympathize with his wearisome praises of his
love ; he said that could they but once behold her beauty they
might understand his song, which could seem but as an idle tale
to those whose minds had not been steeped in the same sweet
influence.s.
vou ti. n
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FKOM THE HEBRIDES
So it is witli the loveliness of this fairy architecture. A
cluster of pearly, snow-white tloines nestling nnind one grand
central dome, like a gigantic pearl ; these crowning a building all
of pure.st, higldy-pf)lished marlde, so [)erfect in its proportions,
so lovely in its design, so simply restful to the eye, and withal
so amazingly intricate in its simplicity, that it is in truth more
like some strange dream in marble than like a work of hnmnii
hands. Its four sides being precisely similar, it follows that
from whatever side you bchohl it its jierfect form never varies.
Far from the city or from any other building, it stands alone in
its transcendent loveline.ss, having its own rich Eastern gnnlen
on one aide, while the warm red sandstone wall above which it
is mised is washed by the blue waters of the siicred Jumna.
This wall, which is si.xty feet in height, sumnnids the whole
giuxlen, a space of alxait forty acres, and the greater part of it,
even tho.se uiuseen jiarts down by the river, is all beautifully
carved with great groups of flowers, as much like nature as any
pious Jlohammetlan dares repre.sent ; part, too, is inlaid with
white marble. The carved niches of that red stone seem to be
all inlaid with some rare pattern of emeralds, which as you
approach prove to be living gems — myriads of green parrots,
which dart forth with glittering sun.shine on their wings.
Just alxtve the river, as I said, stands a great quadrangle of
pure white marble. It is 900 feet square and 40 feet high — a
meet foundation whereon to rest .so fair a structure. On either
side stands a small mosque of red sandstone, inlaid with black
and white marble, and crowned with three white marble domes.
A second marble terrace rises from the first, and from its four
corners spring four tall and graceful minan-ts alxnit 1 50 feet in
height, also of pure marble, and capped with domes. Tliey
seem to gleam like pillars of steadfa.st light against the clear
celestial blue. The great central dome rises to a height of 200
feet. To stend beneath one of the great dark trees, over which
the exquisite Iwugtainvillea has crept, thence hanging in goigeous
ma.sses of lilac leaves like rich rhodoilendron blossoms, twining
and intertwining all through the branches and falling again in
heavy festoons — to see that fairest i>icture glimmering and glis-
tening within so graceful a frame is a new sensation, which of
itself is worth all the long miles of travel. It .seems such a
visible embodiment of that intensely loyal devotion to the dead,
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
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which all the dreamy nietaplitn-s of Oriental pot-ts and all their
flowery phraseology so vainly seek to expres.s. 'I'liere is a feel-
ing of repose in its calm beauty, as though the builder hud
striven to symbolize that great peace into which his loved one
had entererl.
For this pearl among tombs was built by the Emperor Shah
Jehan in memory of the love of his youth, his idolized Jlomtaz,
known al.so as Arzumund Banoo, and as 'I'aj Mahal, “ the crou'ii
of the Seraglio.” She was the joy of his life, and had been his
wife for twenty years, and had borne him many sou.s. She died
in 1631, in giving birth to a daughter. Then the gieat Emperor
mourned with an exceoiling bitter mourning; for the wife of his
youth was dead, and, like another twin spirit so Ivicll —
“ slaves he hatl many, of wires but one.
There is but one Goil for the soul, he said.
And but one moon for the
So the Sun was inconsolable ; but at length he bethought him
to honour her memory by such a tomb as should fill the world
with wonder. So he called together the skilful workers of all
nations, and Italian architects lent their utmost refinement to
work out the dreams of Oriental imagination. To Agra, as to
the Temple of Solomon, were brought together all manner of
precious stones, “ onyx stones and stones to l>e .set ; glistering
stones and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones,
and marble stones in abundance.” The " marble stones” were
brought all the way from Jeypore or Ajmere. but the red sand-
stone was found in the neighlx)uring Mewat hills. It is said
that several thousand men were employetl for uj)waitls of twenty
years on the building, which cost somewhere alx»ut three mil-
lions, English money, to say nothing of compidsory work and
materials sup|)lied gratis by conquered foes.
According to the original design, the Kmperor was to have
had a similar tomb on the opposite bank of the river, and the
two were to have been united by a bridge of fair white marble
spanning the blue waters. Long ere this could l)c accom-
plished, however, he fell sick and was nigh unto death. Then
his four dutiful sons commenced a violent contest as to the
succession. Aurungzelje carried the day, and found means to
dispose of his brothers and his own son, whom he imprisoned in
the strong fort of Gwalior, a stronghold in which, as in the
B 2
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4
FROM THE HEBRIDES
Dastile or the Tower of I^)udon, state prisoners whom it might
not be desirable to kill at oiiee might liiid a dreary oubliette.
'J'here were few of the Mogul Kmjei-ors who did not assign to
some of their relations apartments in this cheerful abode.
Verily, kith-and-kiu love must, in Eastern meaning, be un-
lovable indeeil ! As to his father, Aurnngzohe was content
with imprisoning him for the rest of his life (seven years), in
the old fort at Agra, whence he might continually behold the
beautiful tomb of his wife, and grieve over his unfinished
work. From this durance vile his jicojile were never able to
rescue him, though he w-as well loved in his empire. Perhajis
in his .sad ho\irs of captivity he may have recognized a righteous
retribution for the murder of his brother, whereby he himself
had ascended the throne.
That, however, was quite in the natural way of Oriental suc-
cession, and his father, Jehanghir, the magnificent son of Akbar,
“ had deliberately impaled eight hundred of the race of Tiinour”
who stood between him and the throne. The pleii-sant process
of impaling was lightly to poise a man above a sharp stake in
such fashion that as he wriggled in the contortions of agony he
should by slow degrees impale himself. By an exquisite refine-
ment of brutality, the nmittemble torture of this lingering death
w'as veudered still more protracted by withholding water from the
writhing victim, that the cruel stake might work more slowly as
it pierced the jxxir body, alike dried up by the burning fever of
intenial isiin anil the scorching rays of the sun that beat upon
it. Sr. no pitying jtasser-by, if such there were among the
crowd of idle sja-ctators, might dare to give the unhappy sufferer
one cooling drop to allay the anguish of his burning thirst, Ic.st
by so doing he should expedite his death, and put an end to the
horrors, which, by judicious treatment, might be prolonged until
the thinl day.
The amiable fieml who indulged so large!)' in this pleasant
pastime was the husband of that Noor-^Iahal, “ the light of the
harem,” the fame of whose beauty gained her the name of Noor-
Jehan, "the light of the world.” She it was who took such
delight in her gold fish that she spent hours daily in feeding
them, and clothed them in fillets of gold.
The unfilial conduct of Aurungzebe having prevented Shah
jelrau from completing his grand monumental dream, his l)ody
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 5
was laid beside that of liis love in a chamber Imlow the Taj,
where, as in all these jjreat tomlis, the real sejiulchre and the
more ornamental siircopha^iw stationed alx)ve ground, are totally
distinct. Above the tomb lights are kept constantly burning,
and fresh garlands of roses and marigolds are ever and anon
laid thereon, and given to those who visit the Taj. Entering
the building from beneath an arch which seems to reach to
heaven, you pa-ss in by a low portal and find that the whole
interior is lined with a nio.saic work more exipiisite than even
the most refimil modern Florentine work, though the Moham-
medan j)rohibition to copy natural forms, or the likeness of
anything in heaven or uixui earth, has somewhat crarniwd the
artistic hand, and compelled the .substitution of conventional
arabesques for the graceful lines of nature. Certaiidy, however,
the artist has made his flowers as life-like as he dared.
There is no doubt that many Italians were employed here,
and the delicate beauty of their work can never be e<iualled by
the cosirser pi-oductions of motlern Agra, which trallics largely in
humble imibitions thereof. Both here and in the palace, and
also at Itelhi, there are unmistakable hints of their nationality,
more esjiecially in the frequent recurrence of the e.xtpiisitc
virgin lily. Amongst the lards, too, has been noticed an admi-
rable mosaic of a bulfinch, which is certainly not known in
India; and alove one of the doora of the jialace there is
.said to be a mosaic copy of llatfaelle’s Apollo playing on the
violin.
So nearly akin to nature are some of the designs, that there
are unmistakable wreaths of white jes.samine, graceful tendrils of
vine ami clematis, red hlo.ssoms of the pomegranate, the white
champac, the delicate pink oleander — every flower whereby an
Ej.stern poet would seek to .symbolize his thought, is there in
<ill hut life-like beauty, inlaid on slabs of jmlislied white marlile,
not in the minute mosaic of the Florentines, but in fragments
of such size as to leave the Ijcauty of each stone di.scernible.
Fiach leaf and petal is a separate gem, and sometimes a hundred
different stones are retpiired for a single s)>ray of blossoms ; and of
these there are hunilreds all over the interior, each a perfect gem.
A lovely effect of dewy lustre is given to the more solid jasper,
agiite, and bloodstone by the ii.se of emeralds, aquamarines, and
pearls; cat’s-eyes, too, and amethysts glitter as the light touches
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6
FROM THE HEBRIDES
them, while lapis lazxili, cornelian, and many another stone each
find their own place in this jewelle<l giirden.
But the peifection of loveliness is the marhle screen, which,
in separate slabs, extends all round the marhle t-ondrs. These
slaljs are very lai-ye and several inches thick, but they are
jaerced and carved with the most elalarrate open-work patterns,
till they simply resemble a piece of exquisite lace, with border
of chiselled flowers resembling fleurnle-lis. Just try to realize
it— an immense circular screen of lovely lace, which on closer
ins|)ection proves to be all sobd marble !
There is very beautiful inlaid-work on the outside also.
Verses of the Koran in letters of black marble are inlaid
round ea<di giant archway, and delicate arabesqnes, also of
black marble just jrointed with red, carry the eye upwanl with-
out distniiding it. It is wonderfully jrerfect, in spite of tlioso
sudden and violent atmospheric changes which prove so trying
to alt buildings in this country. It is said, however, that the
Mahrattas and other ruthless invaders could not refniin frcm
damaging even this fair shrine to such an extent that when the
Kast India Conij>any determined to restore it they actually
expended a lac of rupees (somewhere about 12,000/. !), and now
it is presei-vexl by Government Its huge silver gates were,
however, iiTevocably lost, the Mahrattas having carried them
off and coined them into rupees. There was also an inner giite
formed of a single piece of agate. AVhere it is no one knows.
It was supjMj-sed to have been taken to Bhurtporo and there
buried and forgotten, as is commonly enough the fate of valu-
able.s in India.
As you stand at the cntiMuce of the tomb, your eve is carried
beyond the marlile terrace to a long canal, also of white marble,
whose waters reflect the deep blue heavens, while innumerable
fountain.s spriirkle the tdl dark cypress trees with silvery
showers.
The canal extends to the great gateway by which we entered,
one of those immense buildings which guard the entrance to all
these great Eiistein ganlens, the poorest and smallest of which
wouUl rrtterly dwarf our boa.stcd gates of old York. This is a
mnpiificent specimen, built of red sand.stone and inlaid with
white ami black marble, having central arches of such’a height
a.s to make us feel pigmies indeed. This again is jirotccted by
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
7
an enter walled court, with great red sandstone gateways on
either side.
In that beautiful slmdy garden, with its wealth of roses and
all lovely flowers, we lingered for many hours, drinking deep
draughts of delight But it was not till we returned at night
to see the Taj by the light of a fidl moon, that we realized its
ethereal, uneartldy loveliness, softened and uudelined like some
fairy dream. In the warm sunlight it seems to cut clear and
sharp against the blue, like a glittering icelterg. In the moon-
light it is still dazzling, but seems as tliough newly buried
iKtneath a deep fresh fall of snow lying lightly on domes and
jiavement and minarets, and rising altove the tall cypre.sses and
dark rich ma.ss of foliage like some strange vision of purity.
You can scarcely believe that it is reid — you hohl your breatli
lest you should awaken and find that the beautiful picture was
but a dream.
After a while we returned into that exquisite interior. "Weiitl-
looking figures were burning blue-lights, showing every iHX)k
and cranny of the great dome. Awed by the scene, we spoke
to one another in low, subdued tones ; and, struck by the mur-
murous echoes of that wonderful tomb, we tested them by
singing a few lines of “ Brief life is here our portion.” Straight-
way it seemed as though a chorus of unciirthly voices took up
the strain, and whisi)cred the words again and again, and carried
them away heavenward on the clouds of blue smoke that rose
like incense.
Day after day during our week at Agi'a the same lodestar
drew me back, morning, noon, and night. Other scenes of
beauty, in truth, biide the needle sometimes waver, but never
could shake its allegiance to that i>eeile.ss loveliness whose
jierfection seemed only enhanced by every varying eflect of sun-
light or niooidight. Unfortunately our quarters were fully
three miles di-staut, at an execrable and ruinous hotel. Had
we but known in time, there are rotJins to be had, ns iii a Dak
bungalow, m one of the small mo-sques close to the Taj, where
indeed one large room is, with most execr.iblo taste, sometimes
used as a kill-rooin. Imagine our feelings if the New Zea-
landers come and dance their war dances in our mausoleums,
or rather our very' unromantic cemetery chai)els !
Notwithstanding the distance, however, there werc few days
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
wh<?n I did not reach the object of my devotion in time to see
it trao-Hfonned from a snowy pearl to a blue diamond; in other
words, the cluster of domes and minarets changed to a ^^vid
blue as they ‘tUiod in Ixjld relief against the clear sunrise, while
the river gleamed l^elow like molten g»>l»L Tlien the chief
delight was to leave the beaten track and find out all manner
of delightful nooks almost unexplored, and for that very reason
all the more enjoyable. One of my favourite haunts was a very
ohl and neglected Mohammerlan burial-place, shadowed by ante-
diluvian trees, twiste<l and gnarled and almwt leafless from
sheer old age. The quaint little tombs of the poor make a
Htnkiiig foregnjund to that of the imperial bride.
Another p-ath, wholly untrodden by white feet, is outside the
ma.s.sive wall of red sandstone. Flocks of brilliant green parrots,
starthsl by our approach, dart forth from ciich carved nixik of
the ohl wall like flashe.s of emerald light. Arrived at the
.ftiiiina, a coolie’s Iwat ferries us to the other side, where, all
alone, we may sit the live-long day on the yellow sands watch-
ing that calm white spirit with its dreamy reflections in the
bro.'id, still river. Perhaps the gleaming white is carried up
into the blue by one soft fleecy cloud —
“ Ad if an niinal in hU upwani (light
Had left hU mantle, floating in mid-air.**
r am btund, however, to confess that too often the clear
image of th(! Taj is disturljed by a hideous object, round which
foul birds of i)rey hover, and which pirobably sticks on the
siindbanks till the wretched being whose ca.stc assigns to him
all such work from his birth to his grave, comes with a long
].olc to float it off again on its seaward journey. This is the
w'orst contrast of all between rich and jaair burial, for a Hindu
must Im> jKMir indeed if he cannot afford to burn his dead. At
least he will Imy as much wood as he can afford, and make a
little pyre; hut very often the remains that are committed to
Mieir last unrest in the sacreil river are anything fait ashes. My
attendant in the.su .sketching expeditions hail a liunter’s eye for
all sncli loathly objects, and invariably called i.iy attention to
them, even whiui the na.sal oigan did not too quickly betray
Ihiur approach; nor would the vultures, kites, and adjutants
leave us long in ignorance of (he feast they had foimd.
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. »
Tlie river was so unusually low that I suppose the seaward
journey was one of considerable difticulty. There seemed no
limi t to the number of little children, “ babas,” that floated
past ; at last we almost ceased to notice them. One day a
group of mourners came close below the bank where I was
sitting : they curried a little bier, on which, swathed in red linen,
lay the body of a small brown baby. One man advanced into
the stream, and udth bitter wails threw the little body from him ;
and the whole party then followed him into the water to purify
themselves and their clothes after contact with death. Mean-
while foul birds of prey were gathering round the poor wee
baby, threatening to make its journey short indeed.
1 could not but think of the daisies and green turf of our own
churchyards, and the peaceful rest of GcmI’s acre. 1 thought of
little Florence Domhey’s shudder at the thought of her mother
being laiil in the cold earth, and of that wise nurse who taught
her that it was no cold earth, but the warm comforting earth,
where tlie little brown seeds were laid and left a while, that
they might turn to fair and lovely flowers meet for God’s own
garden.
There is something very grand, however, in the ordinary
Hindu funeral by incremation, whereby, within a few hours
of death, there remains of this frail dust only a handful of
aslics, which the priest scatters in the air that they may fall on
the holy river. As he does so he commends the dead to the
four elements : to the Earth, of which he was formed and which
sustained him , to Fire, the emblem of jiurity, which consumes
liis body that his sj)irit may lx; purified on entering a new state
of existence; to Air, whereby he breatlied ; to Water, which
likewise tended to sustain him, and which at best receives his
ashes.
These funeral pyres are rarely kindled till after sunset, when
they form a strange feature in the landscape. Wild, weird
figures move alxiut like shadows among the fires, sometimes
tossing their arms aloft as if in wild grief; sometimes stirring
up the fires till the meny sjiarks rush heavenward, crackling
and sputtering, and the bright flames leap and blaze and vanish
in heavy clouds of dark smoke; while red fires and black
shadows and silvery moonlight are alike reflected on the
dimpled stream.
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10 FROM THE HEBRIDES
One other ingredient of annoyance mars the enjoyment of
most Indian rivers ; these are the dhobies or ■washerineii — to
my mind the worst evil of the two, for the dead glide by in
silence, but there is no escape from the obtrusive noise of the
living. Perhaps a dozen men, or more, stand in a row along the
water’s edge, armed with your bnen and that of your neigh-
Iwurs, wherewith they scourge the water or .some large stone —
literally using your nice embroidered raiment as if it were a
cat-o’-nine-tails, and as if their one idea of washing was to try
how haitl they could strike. And at every blow each man
exclaims sonre pet sentence at the top of his voice, generally
some orre wonl of two syllables, and this he reiterates till it
seertrs written on your brain ; and when a whole troop of
dhobies thus shoirt in chorars the effect is deafenitrg, and sug-
gests some hiileous war-whtK)p irrstead of being the peaceful
sorrg of these hanlworking heroes of soitpsuds, who, as a class,
are aboirt the best, and certainly the most diligeirt, servants
in India.
Perhaps the most enjoyable of oitr evenings at the Taj were
those when, climbing tho.se brll white minarets just at sunset, we
seenred to have risetr irrto an atmosphere of purest light, whence,
jroised itr mid-air, we cottld look down rriron the glowing courts
and domes and garden, and upon the vast circumference of the
irlaitrs stretching away orr every side, arrd upon the beautiful
Jurnna wituling towarils us from the fair city of Agra.
One other lovely sjiot we found, almost as rarely visited as
the opposite shore. This is a certain flagstaff, fi'om which you
look right up the river, having the Taj and its reflections on
your left hand, while beyond rises the magnificent old fort,
built of massive red sandstone, yet all so ex(|uisitely carved and
so adorned with jewelled marble, that you feel Bishop lleber’s
description to be still uusurpa.ssable — “ a fortress built by giants
and finished by jewellers.” It is in truth a marvel of .strength
and beauty, and as you look up at those mighty walls and
grand red towers, you feel that the great Emperor Akbar the
Magniticent might well deem his fortre.ss impregnable, and, like
another king of old, have looked in pride on the “ great Babylon
that he had made.”
Among the natives the city of Agra still Ix-ars his name,
AkbaraKid, the town of Akbar, and tliey remember his power
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
11
Rn<l liis wlsflotn and goodne.s3 aa that of another Solomon, whom
in truth he .seems to liave resembled in most respects. An
amusing native account of his seraglio states that by a multi-
tude of marriages witli the daughters of neighbouring princes he
made powerful alliances, and secured himself against invasion
and insun-eetion. His harem contained live thousand women,
each of whom ha<l her separate apartment. They were divided
into companies, like regiments, with a woman at the head of
each, and one over all acted as generalissimo. Each woman
had definite employment assigned to her, and the internal affairs
of the zenana were conducted with as much order and regu-
larity as tho.se of any other de])artmeut of the state. He was
equally wise in his regulations for a standing army of 400,000
men, and in whatever all'ected the general prosperity of his
kingdom — a kingdom whose annual revenue was forty millious
sterling.
Akbar was fourth iu descent from ilohamet, so he had a good
right to the reverence of all Mohammedans. However, he seems
to have been equally loved by aU the creeds, imismuch as being
great and large-minded, yet thoroughly devout in his own faith,
he was equally lilxjral to all other men. In fact he is described
as having had a passion for tlie study of religion, and from north,
south, east, and west he summoned to his court all the learned
divines of every faith, ofl'ering them all possible inducement to
produce the older writings of their respective creeds. To the
study of these matters he set apart the evening of every Friday
(that is, the Mohammedan sabbatli), and strove to gather the
gems from every faith, and so to build up a system of truth,
much as the members of the Hrahm-Somnj are now striving to
do. The really old writings were then, however, still sealed
lawks. The original Vedas of the Brahmins, the early Buddhist
canonical books, the writings of Zoroaster, were still kept locked
away among the treasures of old Time, as securely as the mam-
moths in the Siberian and North American ice-cliffs. The dis-
covery of the ivory, and the key to the learning of the past,
were Iwth reserved for these later days. So Aklrar’s study of
the creeds was carried on at a heavy disadvantage. Altogether
he M’as a very grand emperor. He died about the year ICOO.
For four generations his descendants kept up the credit of his
name, and (making allowance for Oriental peculiarities} were all
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1-2 FROM THE HEBRIDES
a fine race. In 1707 died Aumiigzebe, and with him tlie glory
of lii.s dynasty.
Now all the grandeur of that mighty Mogul empire and of
the imperial house of Tiniour is but a name — as udiolly a vision
of the past ns the gloiy’ of Babylon or Nineveh. And these
mighty forts and palaces of polished marble; these mas.ses of
red rock, carved with rich arabesques till they liecome marvels
of art ; — all these costly and tasteful buildings are the barracks
or offices of white men from bej-ond the hated "black waters;”
men whose paltry, hideous buildings of brick and mortar excited
the deri.sion of the people for many a day, till in tliese later
years such things as mil ways and telegmphs have proved that
Britain had gifts to bestow on India — gifts, not of beauty,
indeed, but of jtower.
It is sjiid that Akliar was not only an eminent statesman and
a brave soldier, but also that he wtis skilled in darker mysteries
of magic art ; and wondrous stories are told of his stipernatural
talents.
The fort is nearly a mile and a half in circumference; its
great outer walls somewhere about eighty feet high. But the
frowning exterior, which might well awe Iwsiegers unprovided
with modern artillery, gives small clue to the fairy-like loveline-ss
of the imperial j)alace within. Akbar’s judgment-hall is worthy
of the builder — the great hall where he gave audience to all who
sought redress lor any grievance whatsoever. One marvels how
so mighty an eni])eror could find time for all the.se personal
interviews with his ]>eople ; but his wi.sdom and unceasing dili-
gence in business have l>eeome almost jiroverbial, and the
amount of work he got tlmnigh seems positively amazing. Cer-
tainly he contrived to lengthen his days by stealing many hours
from the night; for in .sleep, as in fiwd, his habits were abste-
mious as those of any fakeer, and his ministers had much ado
to be always ready at their master’s call.
llis throne still remains l>enenth its canopy of exquisitely
carved white marble, inlaid with groups of flowers, in cornelian,
jasiicr, and all piecious stones; much the same work as those
at the Taj, but more graceful and natural, inasmuch as
being a less rigid Mohammedan than his gramlson, he suH'ered
his nrti.sts to adhere strictly to nature. Thera are also panels
of flowers carved in white marble, flint are lifelike in their
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
13
beauty. Overliead the great hall exteiuls in couutless graceful
arches.
Akbar’s great hall is now u.sed as a Briti.sh armour}'. Among
its treasures are two beautifully carved and inlaid gates, twelve
feet high, and adornetl with shields of polished metal. They are
said to l>e of sandal-wood, and to have once guarded the entrance
to a great Hindu temple at Soninath, hut were can-ied off
thence by the Affghan Sultan Mahmoud, who, in the year a.u.
877, ravaged the whole of Guzerat, with the double object of
supiiressing idolatry, and enriching his own coll'ers with the
spoils of the heathen. The great sandal-wood gates, which were
a marvel of elalwrate Hindu carving, were so Ixiuutiful aud so
immensely prized by the people that Mahmoud caused them to
be carried all the way to Ghuznee, where, after his death, they
served as jKirtals to his tomb ; their presence there bearing con-
stant witness to the supremacy of the Mohammedans, and to
the humiliation of the Hindus. "When, eight hundred years
later, an avenging British army marched to Ghuznee, it was
deemed expedient by Lord Ellenboiough to remove these cele-
brated g-ates, os a practical evidence to both Hindus and
Mussulmans that the supreme power was now vested in the hands
of the English. Therefore they were with immense difliculty
transported to Agra by our army, to the extreme disgust of the
British ollicers who had charge of them, but much to the satis-
faction of the Hindus, who naturally triumphed in the discom-
fiture of their oppressors.
The Gates of Somnath were henceforth doubly historical ;
their capture holds a prominent place in Lord Ellenborough’s
celebrated proclamation at the end of the Calwol war ; and
thousands of Christian.s, Hindus, and Moslems have flocked to
gaze, nothing doubting, on so rare a specimen of the sandal-wood
carving oT Guzerat. It was not till a very few years ago that a
well-known artist, Mr. Simpson, a canny Scot, aud one much
given to accurate investigation of all sorts, pointed out the
curious fact that all the carving is i)urely Mohammedan, and
that there is no trace of anything Hindu in the design. Not an
indication of any one of the thirty-two millions of Hindu gods.
This led to further examination of the gates, which, on being in-
spected with a microscope, were {uoved not to be of sandal-wood,
but only of Diodar pine. Hence it is evident that a fraud has at
Digitized by Google
14
FROM THE HEBRIDES
some time been perpetrated by some one, and tlie supposition is
that the original gates were probably destroyed by accidental
fire, during their stay at Ghuznee, and that when Mahmoud’s tomb
was repaired new gates were made of the wood that could most
readily lie procured. They are old enough now, however, laiing
battered and damaged, the carving injured, some jianels broken,
and rudely repaired with scraps of wood and iron. Moreover,
as on the great gate we noticed at Allahabad, a numl>er of old
horse-shoes are nailed all over the.se curious portals, suggesting
strange affinities between the suiierstitions of the eastern and
western world.
That great temple of Somnath was one specially dear to the
Hindus, who loaded it with offerings. It was therefore an
exceedingly tempting prize to the Mohammedan Sultan, whose
cupidity could always veil itself beneath a holy zeal for the sup-
pression of idolatry. Descending, therefore, from time to time,
like an eagle from his eyrie amid the snows of the Caucasu.s,
he {jounced on what treasures he pleased, and carried them oil' to
his mountain fastnesses.
Having thus de.seended on the pnivince of Guzerat, on the
shores of the Indian Ocean, he heard how two thoasitnd villages
were set apart for the exclusive support of this temple of
Somnath, the judge of the dead, who.se golden statue was washed
every morning with sacred water brought from the far distant
Ganges. The attendants of the temple numbered two thousand
Brahmins, five hundred dancing girls, three hundred musicians,
and three hundred barbers. Mahmoud, determined forthwith to
suppress an idol so wealthy, laid siege to his domains.
Tlie temple was defended by a strong citadel, standing on a
rocky peninsula jutting into the sea, and further strengthened by
Walls and battlements. These were guaitled by men fighting for
hearth and faith ; who managed to hold their ground, till a large
force had rallied to their assistance. Nevertheless Mahmoud
carried the day, and entered the citadel and temple in triumph.
He found himself in a gi’eat hall .supported by fifty-six pillars,
and encircled with golden images of the gods ; while the colossal
statue of Somnath towered over all. To prove his abhoiTence
of idols, Mahmoud, with his own hand, struck off the nose of
this great image, and bade his attendants reduce it to fragments.
Then the Brahmins fell on their knees, and with tcai-s and
Digitized by Google
TO THE HIMALAYAS. 15
lamentations implored tliat tlieir idol mij;ht be spared, offering
for his ransom a sum so va.st tlmt the counsellors of the Sultan
urged him to agree thereto. He, however, indignantly rejected
the idea of becoming a seller of idols, and bade his people de-
molish it without delay ; and well was he rewarded ; for in the
interior of the image he found a mine of trea.sure of all sorts,
pearls, rubies, and diamonds, of almost incalculable value, and
infinitely exceeding the sum offered him by the Brahmins. Thus,
laden with booty, he returned to Ghuznee, carrying with him
captives innumerable, and the great gates whose descendants
have now, as we have seen, travelled yet further to find a resting-
place in the British armoury at Agra.
From the Hall of Audience you pass into countless rooms and
halls, courts and gardens, where cool fountains fling their spray
over the clustering rose.s, and rare and lovely flowers cover the
sha<ly trellises.
Turning aside from the glare of hot sunlight into the deep
cool shadow, you find yourself in the bath-room of the zenana.
Its whole walls and roof are encrusted with thousands of
tiuy convex minnrs, each one of which reflected the light of our
torches, so that the whole place seemed to glitter like some won-
drous mine of gems. The great marble baths where the nymphs
disported themselves were supplied by streams of water which
flowed in a multitude of little cascades, ripjding over a crystal
background, Whind which were pl.aced innumerable lamps,
thus shedding a soft mellowed light into that ]dea.sant bath-
room. I think these myriad mirrors were a more graceful use of
quicksilver than the device of that Caliith of Cordova who filled
his tanks with liquid mercury !
But the palm of fairy architecture is reserved for the zenana
pavilions — the loveliest buildings, perched like graceful turrets
on the great wall of red sandsU>ne overlianging the river, but of
whoso dreamy beauty no word-painting could give you the
faintest shadow of an idea ; roofs, pillars, biilconies, all of the
jiurest white marble, and all carved with the same marvellously-
elaborate detail. Each panel is a study, and different from all its
neighbours ; each chaml)er seems as though a screen of rare
lace had been drawn round it, and suddenly petrified, or as if
some snow king had covered these shrines with fairy frost-work
on a giant scale. You cannot realize that it is marble; rather
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r.r.vir. li-i ii*r ~.i jt:ari •F':_..i. -Tt* r? ~. T'i ■w"i_a ti«
cTr*: ':<_ri i.: x-i i.-f“ x-.u.-f .’c £!•: ax; . crixize £>.:i.;r ot’
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in tLe t^nk cf L:.j Titer .r. tie :-'art t ; wl 'r tie oe-^p-red
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tiinf: s: Jes of tne conrt rotts an ar.-aie irf ruitant arltw pilLars;
aii'i olttiter.ng archee of the same p nn? nxrble fv'ra the temple
iuelf — perfect in iw svmiaetry, sp. tiess in its par.tr — veiilv
the peari of mosquoa.
It ii Bajd that the idea of bauiing this beautiful musjid was
snj^gested Ijy Shah Jehan’s lovely daughter Jehanari. as being the
l»e*(t di version for her father’s sad thoughts. She had. bv her own
re'jueat, l^een [>em..ued to share his captivity. She »'a.< a woman
Digitized by Google
TO THE HIMALAYAS. 17
of the right sort — brave, benevolent, and of e.xcellent wit. We
saw her tomb at Delhi, a white marble sarcoplnigus, sculptured
with flow'ers, and inlaid with gems ; but in the centre fresh green
grass strikes the eye as strangely un-Eastern, and an inscription,
written by herself, desires that only gra.ss and flowers may mark
the tomb of the perishable pilgrim Jehanari — these being the
fittest adornments for the resting-place of a holy spirit
Besides this beautiful pearl mosque there was one more gem-
like still, for the exclusive use of the ladies of the zenana,
showing a strangely liberal view of the requirements of the
soul feminine, but to this we could not gain admittancn It
has, I believe, been not only closed, but actually walled up, lest
access to the armoury should be thence obtained.
Nor is this the only place walled up. For Ix'neath these
sunlit pavilions of beauty are long dark passages and gloomy
recesses, which doubtless could tell many a dark tale "of war
and terror, tyranny and tears.” Many a bloody crime is said to
have been here enacted ; many a helpless victim dragged along
those narrow tortuous pa.ssagcs, and plunged into those dreary
cells, there to await a tjTnnt’s pleasure — perhaps to linger weaiy
years — ere gentle death came to their release.
We groped our way along these dismal ways till we came to a
place where some English engineers had pulled down a wall,
within which they found a chamber overlooking the river ; and
here lay three skeletons — one of a young man, and two of those
women — one old, one 3’oung; the latter richlj’ dressed, and
adorned with jewels. Here thej’ hail been left to perish bv
starvation ; and though a deep well lay within the enclosure,
there was no means of drawing water there.
In one of the lower pa.ssages was found a horrible pit, alwvo
which was fixed a great beam, from which hung several female
skeletons. How many more may have dropped into the darkness
below, none can tell ; but enough remained to prove that the
zenana life was not altogether paradise, but that jealousy and
hatred, and bitter miseiy and anguish, sometimes contrived to
enter even there.
Nor had the Imperial Seraglio any monopoh' of such sad
hints. Various similar discoveries have been made in this and
otlier cities. In Agra itself, not many years ago, some workmen
who were deepening a drain in a beautiful gaixlen, enme suddenly
voi. II. c:
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\tnuK 'the touiu is built in feur Luge terraress narreauiig as
tliey a.«<<;n'!. At the four comers of eo^h terraee is a
frtivilifin With a dome, inlaid xi:h aarile ai.d encaustic tiles,
green, blue and goM, whieh seem whollv regarvlLss of all varia-
ti'»nH of elimatr;.
The iij<j)er storey of this great mass of building is a court of
white marble, in the centre of which lies the marble sarcophagus
of the mighty cmireror, with the broad blue sky for his canopy.
On his tomb are inscribed in Persian characters the ninety-nine
attributes of Owl, whicli were duly translated to us by a line
oltl pric'it. Ooorl old man, he was not willing to deceive us as to
onr future prosja-ets, so when he came to the title of Defender
of tlio Kiiillifiil lie Uxik grxxl care to e.\plain to us that we were
iMiynml the pale !
All iniiii'l this court are arches ami pilhais, which serve as an
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 19
immortal page, inlaid with verses of the Koran, in black marble.
In every niche of tliose long aicades is a wiialuw of the usual
lace-work carving in marble. It begins to seem quite common.
Yet if we could transport but one such window to some English
church how the people would flock to see it, and how the news-
papers would laud the skill of the artist ! But this is only the
work of “ those wretched niggers,” so few Britons take the trouble
even to look at it !
rerhai)s the place of all others where you are most amazed by
the lavish profusion of such perfect work is at Futteypore Sicri
in the Bhurtpore hills. It lies twenty-four miles from Agra, a
very beautiful drive.
As we left the city the sky was overcast, and the sultry calm
of the morning seemed to threaten a .storm. Nevertheless we
thought it best to jiush on, and were rewai'ded by a clearer noon ;
only a few heavy drops of rain fell, just to cool the air. But the
effect was infinitely grander than that of any blue sky. For, as we
ilrew near the magnificent mass of red sandstone walls, palaces,
and towera, which crown a high crag rising abruptly from the
plain, the leaden clouds became positively inky, and the dark
masses of foliage stood out in bold shadow, such ns Salvator
would have loved to paint. Only one ray of vivid sunlight
gleamed on the mighty ruins of this stupendous, forsaken sum-
mer palace of the great Akbar. A palace stately as our own
Windsor, yet deserted in obedience to the caprice of an anchorite,
whose sanctity in troth had first attracted Akbar to settle on the
hill where the holy man had made his cell.
And the way it came about was this. Tlie emperor w;is
great, and wise, and mighty, and all that gold or wisdom could
give were his. Only the voices of children were wanting to glad-
den his home. Sons and daughters were indeed bom to him,
hut all died in infancy. Tlien he determined that he would make
a pilgrimage to the distant shrine of the holiest Moh.ammedan
saint, Moinuddeeu of Ajmeer, and that his favourite wife should
accompany him. It was a journey of more than three hundred
miles, and it was necessary to perform it on foot. Yet must the
Begum be sliielded from the too curious gaze of chance pas.sera
by. So long screens of cloth were stretched on either side of the
carpeted road, which was made ready for the imperial pilgrims,
in stages of six miles, at each of which they halted for the night,
c 2
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ao FROM THE HEBRIDES
and these spots were tluaeeforward marked by the building of
liigh towers.
When at length they reached Ajmeer, the saint appeared to
Akbar in a vision, and bade him i-etraee his steps to the hill of
Sicri, where lived Sheik Salim, a holy fakeer, e.xeeeding old ami
reverend, who would plead his cause with Allah. To his cell
Akbar betook him, and the old man promised that an heir
should shortly be given to his prayers. Accordingly the llegnm
took up her abmle in a humble dwelling, near to the f'akeer’s
hermitage, and in due time she became the mother of the future
Kmperor Jehangeer.
The grateful Akbar determined to take up his abode perma-
nently, within reach of the counsels of this all-prevailing saint.
So here he built his beautiful palace, and all his courtiers, his
prime minister, and other great men likewise built themselves
houses ami palaces. They made gardens and wells, the hill Wivs
crowned with a lovely white marble mo.sque, and its rocky
sides were laid out in teiTace.s. In the plain below a great
artificial lake was formed, twenty miles in circumference, and the
beautiful new city, which covered a circle of six miles in
diameter, was fortified with stnmg ramparts and Kittlements.
But, alius ! all the fuss and bustle attendant on this busy court
life disturljed the devotions of the hermit of Sicri, who at
last would bear it no longer, and .sending for the empeior in-
formed him that one of them must forthwith depart. Akbar
was grieved for the fate of his fair new city, but his duty was
clear. The aged saint must be left to pr.ay in peace, so court and
courtiers, great and small, departed straightway to the banks of
the Jumna, and there built the glorious city of Akbarabad, the
modern Agra,
When the churlish fakeer died he was buried in the centre of
a great cloistered quadrangle, and over his dust stands as lovely
a tomb as ever eastern taste devised, a tomb of pure white
marlde, all inlaid with mother-of-pearl, gleaming with iridescent
rainbow hues. Bicli hangings are there, and holy books, and
the whole is enclosed by screens of white marble, latticed and
curved like the finest lace. Just beyond rise a cluster of three
pure white marble domes, which crown the beautiful mos«iue.
All this is well pre.scrved ; but beyond, you wander on through
cndle.ss courts, palaces, gateways, columns, tanks, which are left
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
21
to old Time to deal with them as he plea.ses. You only mangel
to see w ith what gentle hand soft decay ha.s crept on, only here
and there leaving her trace. Outside the gi-eat gateway min has
spetl faster, climate and rank vegetation having each done their
part to dislodge great stone.s and loosen doine.s and i>illars.
The Elephant’s Gate was so called hy reason of two grciit
stone images, life size, which Hanked the entrance ; w bile a little
further rLses the Elephant’s Tower, bristling all over with tusks,
but whether these are genuine ivory or composition I cannot
tell — I imagine the latter, as so rich a store of ivorj' would
scarcely have escapal the hand of the spoiler. The chief gate-
way bears an Arabic inscription, which reads strangely in such
a place — “ Jesus has said, the world is but a bridge, over which
you must pa.ss, but must not linger to build j'our dwelling.”
Doubtless these wools of wi.sdom were imparted to Akbar by
his Christian wife Munec Begum, whose tomb is shown near his
own at Secundra
I wonder what she thouglit of some of his curious amuse-
ments, such as those games at jiachccsee, where he and one of
his ministers s;xt overlooking an oj>en court paved wdth s(juares
of black and white marble— a giant chess-lioanJ. Each player
brought sixteen fair slaves to act as living j)ieces, and move at
his bidding ; four of tlie.se being draped in white, four in blue,
four in red, four in yellow. When a jilayer had won the game
by manceuvring his four pieces into the centre, the thirty-two
maidens became his lawful prize.
There were also labyrinthine pas.sages where, in the intervals
of state business, the emperor disported himself in meriy' games
at Luka-Luki, hide and seek, with these fair dam.sels. The
mo.st remarkable feature of this riotous sport was the total
alisence of miment, which seems to have been considered very
amusing indeed.
In working hours, however, the people had good cau.se to
bless the name of Akbar the Just. We had already seen his
great white marble Hall of Justice at Agra. Here is one as
great and beautiful, built wholly of red .sandstone, with clusters
of pillars each marvellou.sly carved One jiillar more curious
than all stands in the centre of the hall, and on its broad caj)ital
was placed the great divan, where the empenw sat daily, giving
audience to all comers, the meane.st of his subjects having free
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22 FROM THE HEBRIDES
access to the imperial judge. From the top of this pillar four
huge slabs of stone, jwinting to the four “airU,” typified his
readiness to receive all who came to him, frfjm north, south,
east, or west. In the houis set a|>art to more private state
business he retired to a beautiful pavilion, with windows of
marble tracery, to e.vdude light and heat. These walls are
exquisitely carved or inlaid with precious stones ; and figures of
all manner of living creatures, flowers, and fruit, tell how lax
a Mohammedan Akbar had become.
You know the faith of Islam literally accepts the command to
make no graven image, nor the likeness of anything in heaven
or on earth ; it was therefore a sore oflence to Mohammedans of
the straiter school to see that when Akbar ajipointed to each of
his wives a separate house, he permitted each to decorate her
home as she j)leased, after the manner of her people. Conse-
quently the house of tlie Ilimlu Begum is one mass of carving
in stone and marble, more exquisite than you can imagine, re-
presenting everj' conceivable variety of animal and plant Tlie
fiowere and fruit are so lifelike that you could almost pluck
them ; only you perceive with dismay that each figure is muti-
lated. A head, a foot, a horn, is always missing ; and as you
mar\-el what ruthless Goth has here left the trace of his bar-
barous hand, you learn that the son who succeeded to the
throne of the great, wise Akbar worked this ravage, and, to
prove his zeal for the law, went hammer in hand to deface all
the carved imagery wliieh too closely resembled the forms of
nature.
The least ornate of all the.se buildings is the house of the
Chiistian wife : I believe she was a Portuguese. Her taste in
decoration was certainly not remarkable. As to the house of
the prime minister, it is so covered with exquisite sculpture
that from the ceiling to the floor not one inch of plain stone is
visible. It is all worked out in the most refined patterns —
diaper, and such fine, intricate work as we occfisioually see in
infinite.simal quantity about the east end of our churches.
And all this beauty is literally wa.sted on the desert air.
Year after year the warm mellow sunlight pours its radiance on
all this loveliness, but no human being is there to take delight
in it. Wild creatures of all sorts — leopards, sometimes tigers —
crouch in the rank jungle on the hill side, or make their lair
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
23
in the cool underground chambers. On the neglected terraces
flocks of wild peacocks bask undisturbed ; birds of plumage,
far more radiant than those which sweep so proudly over our
English lawns; the Indian peacock, like the jay, gleams with
a metallic lustre peculiar to itself, and Hashes through tlie air
like a living prism. So there these beautiful birds find a con-
genial home, and are well in keeping with those stately jjalaccs.
The inevitable green parrots are there in thousands, and many
a strange and beautiful creature besides.
We collected a great bundle of porcupine quills from below
Akbar’s judgment-seat, and brought them- away as suggestive
memorials of the mighty emperor.
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CHAPTER II.
WAVES OF FAITH ON THE SEA OF TIME.
Before passiti}' on to Delhi, wliieh, like Aj^, is one of the
mighty strongholds of Mohummediinism, you must turn aside to
see the twin cities of Muttra and Bindrabund, ooth of which are
crowded with fine sjxicimens of native architecture, beautiful
bathing-ghauts of red sandstone, a..<l temples of most intricate
designs rising everywhere along the banks of the blue Jumna.
These cities g-ain interest from the fact that they have been
the favourite battlefields of every successive faith that has arisen
in this land. At the present moment they are purely Hindu, or
more projx'rly sjieaking, Brahminical.
Yet they were once centres of Buddhism, that strange dreamy
faith, which, born in this hind four hundred years before the
Christian era, prevailed in India ."or twelve hundred years, then
passed away into other lands, while every trace of its existence
here wiis so diligently removed by the re-conquering Brahmins
that we can now only guess where its great temples and convents
once stood; feeling for its dim traces as in Britain we search
wonderingly f,..r hints of the old Druidic faith of our fathers.
It is known that at Muttni there wore once twenty great
Buddhi.st convents, where three thousand monks lived their
strange contemplative lives. There were temples innumerable,
containing colossal statues of Buddha, in brass or stone. There
were seven great towers where lamps burnt day and night above
the relics of Buddha and other .saints ; you know Buddha was
not a gotl, only a sainth’ man — the ideal of what any man may
become; anil the veneration of his memory, ke]it up by treasuring
his statues, his teeth, and the marks of his foot,-.iep.s, is intended
to be simply commemoriitive, and by no means .savouring of
woi-ship, at least not among the eilucatciL
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FROM THE HEBRIDES, ETO 25
Such a faith was not one likely long to satisfy the cravings of
the human heart, so after a while, the sect of Jains sprang up and
seems to have become very powerful in these cities. Their faith
was a reaction from Buddhism towards the old worship of
Brahma. Their creeds seem veiy nearly akin, only the Jains
bring the doctrine of transmigration more prominently forward ;
consequently their tenderness of animal life is proverbiaL So
fully are they persuaded that
** He prayeth be«t who loveth best
All thiugs both great and small/*
that they refuse to crash the snake, scorpion, or other venomous
creature which has bitten them, nay, more, will even remove
vermin of the viler soils from their raiment with reverent
tenderness ! In fact they herein rival that holy Christian St.
Macaire, of whom it has been recorded that, having one day been
guilty of crashing a louse, he condemned himself to seven years
of penance, amid the thorns and briars of a dark and dismal
forest! It is said that the Jains even object to lighting a lamp
during the rains, when insects abound, lest moths and beetles
should thereby be attracted to their death. They even found
hospitals for apes and all manner of beasts and insects, no matter
how foul and noxious. Such a one you may see at Bombay, in
which presidency the Jain faith is most common.
I believe all the Mahrattas are of this persuasion. Yet so fur
from extending their mercy to their fellow-men, their cruelty
has always lieen such that, whenever they invaded the neigh-
bouring states, it was said that the people would flee into the
jungle to the more gentle companionship of tigers and hyienas !
In worshipping, they approach the altar with a covering on the
mouth in token of deepest reverence, just as the Hebrew even to
this day draws a sacred veil over his accustomed head-gear, as
he enters the synagogue, that he may not stand unveiled in the
immediate presence of God. When the prayers of the Jain
temple are concluded the congregation repair to the outer court,
and there dance and sing to the accompaniment of divere sacred
instruments of discord. Just imagine the consternation caused
among a people who hold the extinction of life to be a crime
when first they l)eheld the wonders of the microscope, and rea-
lized the inevitable consumption of insects and animalcules, in
their daily food ! The first priest who ssiw one, offered all his
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■21 FROM THE HEBRIDES
fortune to buy it, and on receiving it as a present he crushed it
to atoms to prevent his friends heir g made as misemble in their
perplexity as ho himself had become. Then he besought the
giver to import no more such instruments of knowledge and
torment
After the Jains had had their little day, Brahminism undiluted
once more triumphed, and JIuttra fmin its position on the
sacred J umna came to be esteemed well nigh ns holy as Benares
on the Ganges. But whereiis the latter is especially sacred to
Siva, the.se twin cities are wholly given over to the worship of
Krishna, the darling of women, to whom the bathing-ghauts and
the magnificent red .sandstone temples are all sacred. Their
polished marble pillars, richly carved capitals, and intricate
sculptures, were doubtless of Buddhi.st origin, and simply
adapted to the rival creed.
When the Brahmins, having gained the ascendancy, destroyed
the beautiful temples of their prcniecessors, they used them as
quarries to supply materials for their own. Siva has but one
temple he.e, but the fame of Krishna draws vast multitudes of
pilgrims, more especially in Xovem1x*r, when there is a great
fair in honour of his birth. The temples are literally number-
less. In olden times they were {mssessed of vast wealth. One
had five golden idols whose eyes were of rubies. Another had
a golden image of Krishna which weighed upwards of a thousand
pounds, and was adorned with one sapphire which weighed three
and a half pounds. In the same temple there were upwards of
a hundred large silver idols.
The majority of these temples were sacked by the Affghans
under Sultan Mahmoud of Ghuznee, who carried off one hundred
camel loiuls of their prendous treasures. His intention had been
to demolish all the idolatrous temples, as he had already done
at Delhi, and the magnificent city of Kanouje ; but he was so
dazzled by their exceeding giandeur that he sjairwl them, and
their final destruction was reserveil for the bigotry of Auningzebe.
He even took with him Hindu masons who might build him
temples as beautiful at Ghuznee, where accordingly a mosque of
red sandstone and marble was built, and adorned with rich
ornaments, so tlmt the fame of its beauty earned for it the title
of “ the Celestial Bride.” Mo.squcs and jtaluces were multiplied
and the Hindu captives tninsformed Cihuzuee frtiin a mere village
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
27
into a city noted for its beauty. So magnificent were Maliraoud’s
spoils from this and many another raid, that he was at a ki.ss
how to dispose of his treasures, though Ins hunting equipage
alone was so gorgeous that each of his four hundred greylioiinds
and bloodhounds had a collar set with precious jewels, and their
coats (such as are worn by all domestic animals in India) were
edged with gold, pearls, and other gems, torn from the throats
and arms of Iris captives.
Amongst the Hindu temples destroyed by him was one which
had been built on the site of a famous Buddhist monastery.
On the same site, the Mohammedans afterwards built a grand
moscjiie which, though now di.snsed, still holds its ground. The
Aflglians were not content with destroying the greater part of
both cities ; but also carried away the people as prisoners. In
this one raid they are said to have taken fifty-tliree thousand
.aptivcs ; and so drugged the market, that the unhappy slaves
A’ere scarcely wortii five shillings a head ! They also slew cattle
'n all the temples, which in the eyes of the Hindus was probably
the worst evil of all. The town is now once more full of busy
life, and is chiefly peopled by Brahmins of the highest caste,
whose noble birth, however, does not make their clamour for
backsheesh less maddening, especially as their imiwrtunity only
increases with the supply.
As we before observed, these cities are especially sacred to
Krishna, alias Vishnu, alias Hari, the Sun-god, the second person
in the Hindu triad. (Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva being the three
forms under which Brahma the Suj)reme is worshipped.) Vishnu
is worshipped under names and forms innumerdble, repre.senting
his various incarnations. Of these, the principal are those ten
avatars, or births, when he has appeared on earth. 1. as a Fish ;
2. as a Tortoise ; 3. as a Hog ; 4, as a Lion ; 5. as a Dwarf ;
6. as Punrshu-ram; 7. as I£am; 8. as Krishna; ‘J. as Budh ;
10. as Kalkee, in the form of a horse ; or, as some aver, in
human form, seated on a white horse. His ninth appearance as
Budh is probably a judicious adaptation by the Brahmins of the
wisdom of Gautama Buddha, though his followers have found
small mercy at their hands. As to the tenth avatar, it has not
yet been accomplislicd, so the faithful await the return of Vishnu
at the end of the Kali-yug, that is, the end of the present cycle
of time, wherein the powers of darkiu'.ss have so entirely gained
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28 FROM THE HEBRIDES
the ascendant, that all creation is said to be groaning in pain
under the burden of ini(piity. Vishnu on his reappearance is
to sweep away all evil by the dcstiuction of the visible world.
Jleauwhilo his worshipjicrs chiefly adore him ns Krishna the
joyous and beautiful, who in one of those twin cities w;is
miraculously horn as the son of a cowhertl; an incarnation
which the V(!das date 1,300 years before the story of the manger
of l.tethlehein, though there are points of similarity which might
lead us to think that Krishna’s historian had borrowed some
hints from Judiea, such as the story of how the life of the baby-
god was vainly threatened by the tyiant Kansa, but preserved
by his loyal foster-father, the henlsmau.
Of course the neighbourhood is full of legends of this wonder-
ful infant. How at the sound of his flute, stones and trees
became animated ; how he sang to the milkmaids and wood-
nymphs ; how he cursed a patch of ground which has remained
barren to this day ; and how he was wont to stand on a certain
hill to heal the jieople who thronged round him, and made them
whole, whether their disea.se was bodily or mental. He taught
the people that he himself was at once their creator, their refuge
and their friend ; their sacrifice and the road of the goml ; their
counsellor and their teacher; and that they who knew and
tnisted in him, also knew and trusted in Brahma the Supn nie.
But mi.xed up with words that sound like a foreshadowing of the
Messiah’s message are grotesque mythological stories, such as
the oriental mind rejoices in. Many a romantic tale is told of
Krishna’s adventums, more es[>ecially of his merry games with
the pretty milkmaids of those pastoral districts, who tended
their flocks beside the river. One of their favourite amusements
was a circular sunwi.se dance called the lias ^landala, in which
the dancera twisted and turned and wheeled round about, in sup-
posed imitation of the course of the sun, moon, and planets, for
it would seem that even Krishna, sun-god as he was, was some-
what at fault in his astronomy.
The chief delight of this cheery god was to watch when the
girls came to bathe, and, stealing their clothes, hang them all
over the branches of a great tree ; then, climbuig to a convenient
position he would sit calmly' waiting till the damsels, with no
f'ther drapery than their own raven tre.sses came to supplicate
for their ganneuts ! llie identical tree is still iwinted out. and
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
29
pil-,Tims hail" linen rags on its branches, as votive offerings, in
memory of this godlike action.
Sometime-s, liowever, Krislina was more helpful to these
maidens, and one bathing ghaut at Bindrabuud marks the sj>ot
where, after a terrible condict, he strangled a huge black water-
serjient, wliich had poisoned the sacred river, so that the kine
which drank thereof dicil. Hence Krishna is con.stantly repn--
sented as a young, handsome hul, glad and triumphant, lidding
up the great serpent, whose head he crushes beneath his foot
Not, however, till the reptile had bitten his heel. In the
similarity of this legend to those of %’yp'^ and Greece, which
told how Horns and Ajiollo slew the mighty serpents which had
terrified their respective mothers, as well as various otlier
mytliological stories both of east and west, which tell how son;e
great deliverer has arisen to bruise the serpent’s head, there
may, perhajis be found some liiigeiing tradition of the curse on
that old serpent who haunted the beautiful g.inlen in earth’s
early day's. Ccilainly many such legends are mi.xed up in the
Indian c.eed.
The heaven promised to his followers is a vast golden city.
Of the multitude of halls, mansion.s, and palaces contained
therein there is no end. The arche.s, the pillars, the omament.s,
are all built up of most precious stones, and radiant gems glitter
in the emerald streets. T.ivers of crystal flow through the city,
and broad beautiful lakes are overshadowed by fair fruit-ljearing
trees. These lakes are covered with water-lilies, red, blue and
white ; each blos.som having a thousand petals, and on the most
beautiful of all these calm lakes floats a throne, glorious as the
sun, whereon Krishna the Beautiful repose.s.
Bindrabuud has passed through the same changes as the
sister city, and is now one picturescpie mass of red sandstone
temples and ghauts, rising from the banks of the Jumna, and
shaded by the overhanging foliage of banyan and neem trees.
On every' side, rich carving, costly shrines, image.s, flowers ; all
the strangely picturesque ingredients of such a scene ; life,
motion, form, colour, all thoroughly oriental, scarcely a day
passing without some festival which attracts multitudec, decker!
out in their best; and no matter how jioor the material, their
colouring is always in good taste. In short this city is to the
Jumna, what Benares is to the Ganges.
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JO FROM THE HEBRIDES
Moreover it is equally infested by monkeys, which are literally
the pest of the city. In the shady luxurious gardens fifty or
more will take possession of one tree, and hold a monkey parlia-
ment ; thence descending on the fruit trees, will help themselves
to the ripest and best fruits. Each window has a latticed frame-
work, which has to be kept constantly closed to prevent their
entering the houses and pilfering. Nevertheless they con-
stantly do get in, and carry off whatever they fancy.
In this city of Krishna one eyesore to his woishippers still
remains, namely, a magnificent Jain temple of red sandstone,
with a huge pyramidal gateway. Its courts, cloisters, and pillars
are literall)’ without number, and the richness of its sculptures
beyond telling. On some of the great festivals all this is illu-
minated, and the effect is described as most imposing.
There are perhaps few places in India, save Benares and
Samath, where all these successive waves of divers faiths have
swept so mightily over the laud as the spot where we now
stand.
In very remote times the whole of Hindustan seems to have
been peopled by innumerable tribes, very dark in colour, and in
the lowest scale of civilization, each having its own especial
mythology — if indeed the worship of snakes, apes and devils can
be .so called. Somewhat about 1700 B.c. wliile the Patriarchs
still fed their flocks on the Syrian Plains, and when Josejih was
saving the land of Egypt from famine, the mighty Aryans, with
the fair skin and the rich musical speech, are suppo.scd to have
swept down from Central Asia and taken possession of the land,
wholly subduing those feebler tribes, and reducing them at once
to the rank of slaves, hewers of wood, and drawci-s of water.
Only such as fled to the deep forests and inaccessible hills
escaped this fate, and tliere remain unto this day the lawless
independent hill tribes, noted as hardy warriors and keen
sportsmen.
The Aryans brought \vith them a noble faith, probably much
the same as their Druidical brethren taught in Britain. But
whereas the last deemed it impious to commit their creed to writ-
ing (so that Ossian's dreamy Gaelic legends are now our oldest
link to the forgotten past), these Aryans of the east brought with
them grand old poems, psalms of victory, and prayers for deliver-
ance, written in the ancient Sanscrit. These Ibrm the Pig- Veda,
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. SI
each line of wliicli is now interpreted as bearing deep and coni-
ple.x mefining ; while its strong, nervous wonls and subtle
thought aflortl foo<l for much study to our most learned men.
The date and authorship of the llig-Veda are questions as
utterly vague and unanswenible os are tho.se of the Hook of Job.
Both are lost in the mists of bygone ages. Only by a retro-
gressive process can we arrive at any sort of conclusion concern-
ing the antiquity of these strange beautiful poems; by recol-
lecting that about four huntlred years Iwfore Clirist the great
Buddhist reaction again.st Brahminism commenced ; and that
the degenerate form of faith, against which Buddha jirotested,
had been established in India from time immemorial ; Iwing em-
bodied in the Brahmanas, whose authority and antiquity were
alike unquestionable. The.se Hudunanas are full of allusions to
the liig-Veda, as to a well-known authority, from whose pure
and beautiful teaching they had, however, already departed so
widely as would seem to have involved centuries of slow
estrangement.
For instance, so far from authorizing any species of idolatry,
these sacred writings declare in the clearest terms that there is
but one Supreme God, of whom Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva in
their several capacities are but divers manifestations, co-etemal
and co-equal. In some verses indeed, Vishnu ajipears merely as
one of the Adityas, which were twelve characters of the Sun,
answering to the twelve signs of the Zcsliac.
Moreover in the.se grand old hymns, that intense Ijelief in im-
mortality, which has always so strongly marked the Aryan
races, was never blended with those childish theories of trans-
migration which form so markc-d a feature in the tejiching oi the
Btahmanas. That these must have crept in early, that is to say,
before the great Aryan wave parted eastwaul and westward, is
evident from the traces thereof which we find in the old Celtic
faith. (V\'e have previously noticed the curious fact that the
Celts would even lend money, on the promise of repayment in
the next phase of tenestrial existence !)
Yet wlrile the earlier Vedas contain no allusion whatever to
the doctrine of transmigration, they are full of the promise of a
future life. Tliey tell how Yama was monarch of this world till
sin entered, and then came soitow, disease, and death; but
Yama, passing through “ the grave and gate of death ’’ into the
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
land of iramortalitv, obtained a kiniriiom for himself, and is now
continually seeking to guide men tiiither. He is worshipped as
“ the assembler of men, who departed to the mighty waters ; who
tpifd out a road for many.”
This conviction that the righteous dead were thus certainly
reunited in a land of blessetlncss taught the living to recognize
in death only a heavenly birth ; hence such woixls as tho<e
channted round the funeral pyre, when, commending the fleshly
limbs to the elements which gave them birth, Agni is besought,
by his flame and brightness, to kindle the uubo,n part, and con-
vey it to the world of the righteous ; to War and carry the dead,
with all his faculties complete, so that “ crossing the dark valley,
which spreadeth boundless aruutid him, the unlnim soul may
ascend to heaven ; the feet of him who is stained w ith sin may
be washetl; that he may go upwards with cleansed feet; and
that passing through the gloom, and g:\zing on every side in
wonder, the unborn soul may rise to heaven, Iwrne by the
clouds (the water-shedding angels), who shall cool him with their
swift motion, and sprinkle him w ith dew."
The dead is adjured to clothe himself in "a shining form, a
new and glorious body, that he may me<-t tlie Lord of Death
with the ancient ones, who, through meilitation, through laying
down their lives for others, and bestowing their goods on the
poor, have obtained the victory, and gone to heaven.” "Go to
thy home ; may thy soul go to its own, and hasten to the fathers."
“ Do thou, O Lord, conduct us to heaven ; let us be with our
wives and children." “ In heaven, w here our friends dwell in
bliss, free from all infirmity, there let us Whold our parents and
children.” “ Place me, 0 Pure One, in the everla.sting amt un-
changing world where light and glory are found. Make me
immortal in the world in which joy.s, delights, and happiness
abide ; w here the desires are obtained.”
The life described in those old hymns was hearty, earnest, and
practical ; not the melancholy, listless state of e.xiatence engen-
dered by unreasoning faith in childish fables, and a continual
straining after a life of unnatural contemplation and dreamy
mysticism.
Of course the most strongly-marked superiority of the Pig- Veda
lies in its monotheistic teaching. Certainly it personifies all the
powers of nature, earth, sea and sky, stormy wind and tempest.
r
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 83
mists and vapours, sun, moon and stare, fire and frost, light and
darkness, and speaks of them as of spirits and sliining ones.
Thus the sun is addres.sed as Snrya, Savitri, Mitra, and
Aryainan, in his various phases of rising and setting, just as
the early Greeks bestowed divers poetical names on the same
natural phenomena; while their descendants, losing the clue to
the old poems, recognized Daphne, the dawn, and Endymion
the setting sun, as beings wholly distinct from Cephalus and
Fhtebus, and evolved strange fables from names which, in
the mouths of their fathers, were probably merely graceful
phraseology.
Just as in tlic old Gaelic poem.s of Ossian, so in these Sanskrit
hymns (the phraseology of each being as strangely akin as are
the tongues in which they are reconled), there is the same
blending of the mysterious {wwore of the beautiful material
w'orkl, with aspirations after things spiritual and imaginative.
Beautiful as are the songs of the wild storm-gcKls, of the
ravmg tempests, or the dreamy spirits of the mist, -yet One
Supreme Creator do all these bow to and obey. " Mountains and
all bills, fruitful trees and all cedars, dragons and all deeps, fire
and hail, snow and vap<jur, stormy winds,” are all shown to be
alike fulfilling His word.
But inasmuch as no one title could de.scribe the infinite
attributes of God (even the Mohammedans invoking Him by
ninety-nine divers titles), these old hymns devised different
names for His difi'erent characters. Hence He is addressed as
Indra, the Giver of Rain and Lonl of the Firmament, who has the
winds for His messengers, and is said to smite the rain-cloud
Vitra, and to send down freshening show'era upon the earth.
“ Slayer of Vitra, ascend thy chariot, for thy horses have been
yoked by prayer.”
As Ixird of Fire, He is adored as Agni, under which title He
watches over the hearth. Hence the Arj’ans held the pre.sence
of fire indispensable at their marriage ceremonies ; indeed, the
[>resence of fire as a divine witness was in some cases deemed
a sufficient ceremony.
Under the title Varuna, God is worshipped as Lord of the
Ocean, of the Sun, of the Day. “ Whatever two persons sitting
together devise, Varuna, the king, knows it as the third. This
earth, too, is Vanina, the king’.s, and that vast sky whose ends
voi„ ir. 1 }
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34 FROM THE HEBRIDES
are far off. Ki»}? Vumna sees all — what is within and beyond
heaven and earth ; the wiiikiii”;s of men’s eye s are all numbered
by Him.” “He who knows the ]>lnce of the birds that fly
through the sky, who perceives what has been, and what will be
done ; He who knows the track of the wind .... may He
make our paths straight all our days; may He prolong our lives.”
“ Yearning for Him, the fr.r-seeing, my thoughts move onwards
as kine to their pastures. () hear this, my calling, Varuna ; be
gracious now. Longing for help, I have called upon Thee. Hear
my calling, 0 Yaruiia, and bless me now'. Y'ithout Thee, O
Varuna, I am not the nurster even of the tw'inkling of an eye.
Do not deliver us unto death, though we have oflended against
Thy commandment day by day. Accept our sacrifice, forgive
our oflences. Let ns speak toyether aijetin like old friends."
Strangely similar (is this not?) to what our own Scrijitures
have taught us of a Christian's “fellow.'ihip” with his God;
communing with his Lord “as a man talketh with his friend.”
Such was the beautiful faith of these ancient races, who, so far
from acknowledging caste and Brahminical priesthood, " held that
God had made all men equal, and that He was to be wor-
shipped by no priestly formulas;" who, consequently, had no
tem})les for public worship, but built altars under the open
heaven, or beneath some stately tree, and offered sacrifices,
every man for his own family'.
It is strange how a faith so simple could ever have developed
into such a tissue of complex absurdity' as the modern system of
Hinduism. The earliest beginning of that change has been
described as “ an age of reflection following an age of exertion :
a meditative generation going to work on the sayings of their
practical fathers, determined to elicit hidden meanings from
everything ; so that from the simplest observations a whole
system of theology was evolved, schools wrangled, sects split
words, ceremony was piled upon ceremony.”
Then they departed from the purity of their old faith, and
adopted every species of grossly idolatrous practice from the
nations whose lands they conquered. Thus the floodgates were
opened to the wild orgies of devil-worship and every other
conceivable absurdity; and the monstrous fabric of modern
Hinduism was reared on the grand foundation of the ancient
creed.
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. *5
On the vexed question of the origin of caste, and the fact that
the Kig-Veda says little or nothing that can possibly be twiste<i
into an allusion thereto, a very interesting suggestion has been
made by Dr. Hunter, who traces it to the days when the.se
Aryan tribes, with the pure faith and the Sanskrit tongue,
overspread Northern India, and, conquering the dark-skinned
aborigines, reduced them to the perfonnance of all manner of
servile work, reserving for theiuselves the exalted position now
held by the IJnihmins — warriors and merchants — “ Twice- bom,”
as they are called in the Book of Manu, the great Brahininical
lawgiver. A theoiy fully supported by the physical distinction
between the clear coinple.vion and the fine intellectual hea<l
of the upper castes in the northern provinces, and the baser
type common among the Sudras ; the finely-chiselled features of
the former, and the flat nose and thick lips of the latter.
The supreme contempt with which the magnificent Brahmin,
however poor he may be, treats all other castes, as having been
creabrd only for his service, is precisely the feeling with which
his fair-skinned ancestors ti'eated the conquered children of the
soil; that is to say, all the non-Aryan tribes, whom they
reduced to serfdom, and whose descendants are those miserable,
oppressed castes known as the Sudras, and those still more
wretched outcasts, or Pariahs, rejected even by these.
The aboriginal tribes are always 8]X)ken of in the old Sanskrit
writings with the utmost loathing. They are called the Da-syans,
and their imperfect, savage language was constant matter for
ridicule in the eyes of the conquerors, whose rich, clear tongue
seemed formed for the e.xpression of all ideal my.“terie.s. Hence
their prayers for victory over “ the men of the inarticulate
utterance and of the uncouth talk men whose language had
no terms whatever for the expression of any abstract idea, such
as time, space, number ; past, present, or future ; earth, heaven,
or helL
Then, as now, the fair skin despised the dark. "The vile
Dasyan colour” is perpetually alluded to with repugnance, and
the gods are repeatedly thanked for having “ scattered the slave
bands of black descent, ha^^ng destroyed the black skin,” while
they protected the Aryan colour. “ The Thunderer” is said to
bestow on his white friends the fields, while the stormy gods
scatter the black skin.
D 2
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3« FROM THE HEBRIDES
The Kit)S8 use of all manner of animal f<x>d was, altove all,
l■(•|lnlsive to the more refined liahits of the Arj'an ; the use of
niw meat, of home fhwh, even of human flesh, and the savage
and blofsly saeritices offered to pro])itiatc malignant demons, as
well as to supi'ly the voracious worshippers with an abundant
store of IotkI — all these habits of the Dasyan were as revolting
to the strict refinement of the Aryan as those of the modern
Sutlra are to the Ihahmin. Hence the title, “ the l!aw-Eaters,"
hy whitdi the Vislas describe the.se inferior animals — these
“snake” and “ monkey trilres.”
'J'his demonology seems to have been the sole idea of worship
among these prsjide, the lowest form of servile fear. As to any
knowledge of a future life, we have seen that they had not even
a word to express it. Like a jm)r African Bushman, to whom
we once vainly hope<l to convey some notion of immortality by
speaking to him of his dead mother, but who could realize no
more exalted view of the case than to repeat, with a grin of
amu.sement, “ All, massa’s sister! my mother is rotten! — she is
rotten !" HO these strangely ignoble tribes could conceive no
poMsiliility of a resurrection ; nor had they any funeral rites
save fpiickly burying the corpse, and adjuring the dead, who
could no longer eat with them, never again to come near them.
No wonder that sucli people as the.se should have quickly
Hcce])fed their position as the natural slaves and bondmen of
the more enlighUnusl races. “ L'ltccasion fait Ic larron;’’ and it
is worthy of note that those Aryan trilies who settled in Cach-
mere and beyonil the Indus, and who apparently did not find
such gooil raw material for serfdom, have continued to believe
in the equality of all men, and utterly ignore all distinctions of
(•aste.
It is very curious to note the gradual development of this
system from tlio.se early days when the Aryan faith, lieginning
to degem-rate, embodied itself in those later Vedas which teach
how from tlie body of Bndima sprang four great castes — the
Brahmins, Khetries, I’.ices, and Siulnis, who respectively came
from his mouth, shoulders, thighs and feet; while the miserable
alMirigiues of tlie land were classed as ruriahs, or outcasts, who
claim no de.scent fnun Brahma, and comsequently arc despised to
an extent not to lie t<dd.
tJradually these four castes came to be subdivided into the
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
37
incalculable varieties we now find in such endless complication.
Thus the Brahmins alone count two thou-sand distinct families
of their order, those of Northern India l>eing esteemed the most
holy, having kept their old blood more jnire than tlio.se who
pushed southwaixl, ami who in some measure blended with the
I>eople of the land. There arc, however, several distinct classes
of Brahmins dwelling in the great northern mountains (the
Himalayas), who are held in the utmost contempt by their
namesakes in the plains, and who return this feeling with
interest. The Brahmins of Bengal alone numlier one hundred
and sixty-eight subdivisions, who may neither eat, drink, nor
intermarry one with another; though the holiest of all, the
Coolin Brahmins, may many wives by the score from all the
other families, their sanctity being an inexhaustible store, which,
like a flame of fire, may lx* imiiarted to others, but never loses
aught of its own pure light. There is one caste of Brahmins,
called I’oorbeca, who carry their niceties to such a pitch that
they may not even take fire from one another. Hence the say-
ing, “Twelve Boorliecas and thirteen tires,” because supposing
twelve brothel’s alxiut to dine, they must first kindle one fire for
general u.se ; then each (having made his own little mud-oven,
smeared with cow-dung) takes fire thence and proceeds to cock
for himself. Perhaps the mo.st remarkable instance of the sub-
dixdsion of castes is that of the oil-makei’S in Telingana, xvhose
only distinction is that one half work their oil-mills with one
bullock, while the others u.se two; yet they cannot intermarry,
nor even eat together.
Among the most cunous of ca.ste statistics is the contempt in
which a-strologers are held. Dr. Hunter states that they are
reckoned so impure that, although wearing the sacred thread of
the Brahmins, they dare not sit down in any house they chance
to enter till all the mats have lx?en taken up. A .strange penalty
for seeking to extort the secrets of the stars, and one which
seems to suggest the contempt wherewith the Aryan compicrois
were wont to regard the alwriginal planet-worshippers !
All laws and enactments of cour.se go to secure the exaltation
of the Brahmins, who alone are allowed to read the sacred
lxx)ks, and who claim universal obedience from their neighlx)!!!^.
The most barlxuous decrees arc still unrepealed against a man
of low caste who would presume to take the smallest liberty.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
such as to sit down on the carpet of a priest ; and though the
Brahmin may be ever so poor, he can exact any amount of
deference from otliei’s. Thus the Bralmiiii school-boy will
make his companion carry him through tiie muddy stream, or
otherwise make himself useful. I’ather an awkward power in
tlie case of two men enlisting in the same regiment, when it
may chance that the lowest Sudi-a may be of higher standing
than the Brahmin to whom he owes reverence. One disad-
vantage to the Bralnnin is, that he must in every case cook his
own food. He may also cook for all his neighboui'S, who can-
not be defiled by eating that which he has touched, but tliey can
never render him the same service.
The low-caste Sudras are often possessed of vast power and
wealth, being considerable landowners. As a general rule, most
mercantile and agrieultnnil castes rank as honourable, but any
trade involving death of animals, or the use of any animal sub-
stance, is considered low. Such are fi.shermen, hunters, laundry-
men, snake-charmers, curriers, shoemakers, butchers. Distillers
and palm-wine drawers are impure, from the fact that all intoxi-
cating liquors are forbidden. Sweepers, washers, burners or
buriers of the dead, are .sheer ouh:asts. In this, as in every
other phase of Hindu life, emlless anomalies exist — barbci-s,
for instance, rank higher than bankers. There seems, however,
no insuperatile barrier between one profession iind another,
and certainly men do occasionally pass from one position to
another. Tlie son of a goldsmith may become a carver, a potter
may turn his hand to the loom. 1 have seen a high-caste
bearer (valet) daily patiently instructing a young mehtcr
(sweeper), with a view to his becoming a bearer in his turn ;
a matter of small importance to an English master, though
doubtless a high-caste Hindu would object to his services, for
amongst themselves caste distinctions are as plain as the caste
mark painted on their forehead — not a dead letter, but a living
fact enforced by the whole community. Thus for a damsel of
one caste to marry into a lower, would shock the nerves of
society almost as much as if an English girl were to inarrj' her
gi'oom.
In the matter of food, the Brahmin is supposed to abstain
from all animal food and all intoxicating liquors; but the
average ca-ste-s will eat goat, sheep, and such like, as well as
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 39
all manner of game — not poultry, however, that being impure.
The lowest castes of all will eat whatever comes to hand —
carrion, rats, and river-tortoises, or even food from the table
of a Christian ; they will also drink all fermented liquors.
They are especially strict in the drawing of water, every man
for himself, in his own brass lota; and this it is which makes
it impossible for a Hindu to visit England without losing
caste, ns in crossing the “black water,” as they call the sea,
the difliculties of maintaining ceremonial purity in cooking are
insuperable.
This e.'cpulsion from caste is, in fact, a civil excommunication
which debars a man from all intercourse with his fellows, lie
becomes an isolated being, dead as it were to the world, and
bereft of friends and relations, who prefer disowning him to
sha’ing his miserable fate. None dare cat with him, or give him
so much as water to drink. No lower caste would receive him.
He becomes a Pariah, and sink.s to the lowest depth of degrada-
tion. There are, however, certain ceremonies whereby a man
may make atonement for small sins and be restored to his own
caste. He must pay a certain fine, and must swallow a foul
compound of the various i)roduce of the sacred cow, and observe
other religious ceremonies, and may thus in time regain his
social po.sition ; but should he have been guilty of tasting
beef, that crime is beyond redemption, and he is eternally
lost.
This is the more curious, because, as I have already noticed,^
the prohibition of beef, is a thing of even more recent date than
the growth of caste itself. The most ancient Sanskrit books de-
8cril>e solemn sacrifices of bulls and heifers of <livcrs colours, and
dilate on the jovial feasts of beef and ale which ensued ; a comfort-
able phase of living, which seems to have continued till the seventh
century of the Christian era, when tlie jirohibition is firot heard
of. It seems that from time to time, efibrts have been made,
with more or less success, to break through the caste system.
Tor instance we hear of a teacher who appeared in Northern
India about the time of our Ileformation, preaching One God,
who had no respect of persons. He cho.se for hisdi.sciples twelve
men of the lowest caste, and sent them forth throughout the
land to teach the doctrines of equality, and of a pure worship.
* Cliajitw XT.
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40
FROM THE HEBRIDES
His object was to ffatber all the cjistes of the Hindus in one com-
mon faith. His di.sciples bettered his instruction, .and strove to
embrace Hindu and Mohammedan alike, by teaching them that
the God whom they respectively worship as Kama or as Allah
is but One, who desires to Ire adored in purity of heart and life.
“ The city of the Hindu Go<l is to the e;i.st (say they), the city of
the Musjilman God is to the west; but explore your own heart,
for there is the God both of the Musalmans and of the Hindn.s.
Kehold but One in .all things. He to whom the world Ixilongs,
He is the father of the worshipjnjrs alike of ..Vli and of Kama
He is my guide. He is my priest."
Again, in the worship of the .Jagannath, we find that the
.siime teaching of equality lies at the root of his amazing hold on
the Hindu race. It is becau.se the “ Lord of the World ” is also
the God of the jieople, tliat they continue year by year to fiock
to his .shrines in such countless multitudes, and in defiance of
such cniel hard.ships, that thou.sands and tens of thous.ands
annually jierish by the way ; not beneath the wheels of his car
in voluntarj' self-immolation, as has Iwen so often falsely
asserted, and so entirely disproved ; but from weariness and
e.xhaustion, in striving to pre.ss onw.ard to the shrine where the
lowest outc.ast is as welcfuue as the proudest Knihmin, and where
lK)th togetlier may partake of that Sacrament of the Holy Fooil
which is the pledge of common brotherhood among the worshij)-
|X)rs of One Lord. I cannot resist quoting a pas.sage on tliis
subject from Dr. Hunter’s “ Orissa” Speaking of the worship of
Jagannatli, he s.ays : —
“ As long as liis towers rise upon tlie I’uri .Sands, so long will
there Ixj in India a pcry)etual and visible prote.st of the equality
of man before God. His apostles penetrate to every hamlet of
Hindustan preaching the sacrament of the Holy Foo<l. The poor
outca.st leams that there is a city on the far eostem shore in
which high and low eat together. In his own village, if he acci-
dentally touches the clothes of a man of good caste, he has com-
mitted a crime, and his outraged superior 1ms to wash away the
jKjllution Imfore he can partake of food or approach his god. In
some parts of the country the lowest castes are not permitted to
build within the towns, and their mi.serable hovels cluster amid
heaps of broken potsherds and dunghills on the outskirt.s.
Throughout the southern part of the conlinent it u.sed to be a
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
law, that no man of these degraded castes might enter the village
before nine in the morning, or after four in the evening, lest the
slanting rays of the sun should cast his shadow across the path
of a Brahmin. But in the presence of the Ix)rd of the World
priest and peasant are eqiial. The rice that has once been placed
before the god can never cease to l>e pure, or lose its reflected
Siinctity. In the courts of Jagannath, and outside the Lion
Gate, 100,000 pilgrims every year are joined in the sacrament of
eating the Holy Food. The lowest may demand it from or give
it to the highest. Its sanctity overleaps all barriers, not only of
Ciiste, but of race and hostile faiths ; and I have seen a Puri
priest put to the test of receiving the food from a Christian’s
hand.”
This Holy Food, of “the Great Offering,” * is Ijclieved to Ihj
endowed with a power of working miracles more marvellous
even than those which have been attributed to the Consecrated
Wafer of Christendom. Dr. Hunter quotes a legend concerning
a proud pilgrim, who swore that tliough he j)urposed looking
upon the I^rd of the World, he would assuredly eat no leavings
of any mortal or immortal being. But lo 1 ere he set foot within
the sacred city, he was stricken by the angry god, and his arms
and legs fell off, and there remained of him only a miserable
botly, which lay by the roadside for two months, dependent on
the charity of passers by. But at length it chanced that a dog
came by that way, with a mouthful of the Holy Footl, and as it
passed the jdaee where the pilgrim lay some grains of rice fell
on the ground. Then the poor humblc<l wretch managed to roll
him.self forward, .so that with his lips he might gather up the
precious grains, the leavings of a dog, whose mere shadow falling
on ordinary fowl, would defile it. Nevertheless, as he gathered
tliem reverently, altreit mingled with the saliva of the unclean
creature, lo ! the mercy of the gw)d lortl Jaganmitli was
e.vtended to him — new limbs were given him, and he was
suftered, in lowlie.st penitence, to approach the shrine.
But beautifid as is the theory of brotherhood, symbolizeil by
this sacramental feitst, it seems to l>e in a great measure ignored
by the degenerate Brahmins of the present day, and many a
weary pilgrim of the lower ca.stes is in danger of finding liimself
excluded from the immediate presence of the Lord of the World,
* Maliapnistul.
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42
FROM THE HEBRIDES
for no other reason than that of inheriting tlie social position of
his father, and following liis trade. Although in direct violation
of the spirit of the feast, and of the laws of tlic founder,
admission to the temple is now generally refused to all castes
■who have to do with handling unclean substances, such as
coiijses, or skins of beasts ; idl who have to do with the de-
struction of animals, birds, or fishes ; all Christians, Moham-
medans, or aboriginal tribes. Criminals are also excluded till
they have expiated their crimes by costly penance ; while for
a woman, who has once fallen, there is no possibility of rcmi.s-
sion. However deep her repentance, she may never again set
foot within the sacred precincts ; a rule which seems strangely
arbitrary, considering the character borne by the dancing girls
belonging to the temple ! Thus a very large proportion of the
pilgrims are by priestly intolerance ileclarcd to be outcast, not-
withstanding the direct declar.ition to the conir.iry by the early
apo.stles of Jaganiuith, who taught that “God’s pity knows
neither family nor trilie.” “ Xot the learned in the four holy
scriptures, but the lowly man who believes, is dear to Him.”
Hut rigidly as the nrahmins guard their inner sanctuary from
the intrusion of the despised low caste.s, they dare not refuse them
their share of the Holy Food — more especially as the sale thereof
is a source of revenue to the temple. They therefore go through
the solemn ceremony of presenting it to Jngannath in the outer
court of the temple, and then sell it to the va.st hungering
multitude outside, in red earthenware pots, which may not be
used a second time. Therefore every evening thousands of these
are thrown aside, and the thrifty husbandmen of the district
make use of them in building up frail boundary walls around
their fields. It appears that even the Holy Food itself becomes
an additional cause of sullering to the wretched pilgiams, for not
only is it often ill-cooked, but it is served out by the priests in
such large quantities that the pilgrims cannot consume it in a
day, and as they dare not waste the least fragment of the sacred
food, they are constantly compelled to consume it on the second
day, in a condition of fermentation or putrefaction ; a fruitful
source of illne.ss to the dense multitude of half starved and ex-
hausted wretches, enfeebled by long travel, and perhaps ah-eady
cholera-stricken. But whatever failure there may be in the
practical working of this gieat festival, its theoiy remains
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43
unchanged, and forms one of the mightiest holds of Vishnu on
the afi'ections of tlie people.
To return, however, to those early days, when the first germ of
the now mighty caste system sprang from the contemptuous
pride with which the Aryan conquerors treated the inferior
races. Despised as were these, tliey iieveitheless seem to have
had their full share in modifying the religion of their con-
querors. A mi.\ed race soon led to a mi.xed faith, and the
demon worship, once so abhorrent in their eyes, ra[»idly gained
ground, growing up, together with the new faith, like rank tares
among good seed. Thus it came to pass that JIahndeo (the
great god) was no longer worshipped simply as the Lord and
Giver of Life. Ho became identified with Siva, in which
character he liccame the destroyer of his own work. In course
of time these opposite principles were reconciled by the doctrine
of tiansmigration, according to which destruction in one form
implies only a new material birth. In his character of de-
stroyer he is ably assisted by his wife, in lier most malignant
character as Kali or l)oorgi\, who appears as the most terrible of
those insatiable fiends who can only be pacified by an oblation
of warm human blood.
Although, under the English rule these demons are forced to
be satisfied with the blood of sheep and goats, there have been
instances so late as the famine of 18UG, when the mere precious
offering has lieen procured, and a ghastly human head has
glared from among the flowers which decked the altars of these
monst’'ous gods.
Dr. Hunter remarks that in Northern India, where the
aborigines at once succumbed to the Aryans, this demon-
worship hardly apjiears, whereas in Lower IJengal, where they
in some measure held their ground, its i>re.sence is far more
decided; while in those hill and forest districts where the
Aryans never settled, and where the aboriginal black races of
Bengal still number thirty niillions of souls, the very lowest
fonn of unmitigated devil-worship still prevails.
It is so firmly rooted in the affections of the people that
neither Buddliism, in the days when its influence swept in a
resistless tide over the length and breadth of the land, nor
Christianity of any sort have been able to wean even their
nominal efmverts from their adherence to the.'c rites; more
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
especially tLe daily offerings of Hour, water, red paiut, and rice,
to an unknown God, supposed to dwell in some sacred tree, and
to be the gtiardian-spirit of each village. Sevenil times a year
all the people of a village assemble to sacrifice goats, chickens,
and red cocks, which they then cook at great tires, and after
dancing in a large circle round each tree in the sacred grove, so
as to make sure of doing homage to every possible god or devil,
they have a grand feast and jovial merry-making.
Within the last few years, however, an e.xtraordinary religious
awakening has taken place among the Santhals and the kindred
tribe of Ivols, many thousands of whom have been converted
to Christianity, tlnxnigh the influence of two German mission-
aries, who, having first observed some of them working in
Calcutt.a, bethought them of seeking them out in their mountain
lioines. Tliere they were ill-received, and pelted from village to
village. Yet for five years they persevered in the effort that
seemed so hopeless. At the eud of that time two men came to
them to enquire further, es|)ccially desiring to see Him of Whom
they taught. When they found they could not see Him literally,
they went away again. Yet after a while they returned, and
eventually requested to be baptised. This beginning was iis the
ojwning of a mighty floodgate. Others crowded to hear and
learn. l!y the end of the twelfth year the Christians of this
Chota Nagpore Mission numliered many thousands; of whom
eight hundred are communicants. These men, you see, are not
trammelled by those social difficulties which beset the Hindu of
the plains ; they neither have the subtle intellectual refinement
of the I’nihmin, in defending their own creed, nor the dread of
losing caste, so that when once convinced of the truth they have
fewer obstacles in accepting it. They are described by one,
whose oHicial work lay among.st them for many years, as being
a very noble race, honest, and honourable ; e.xceedingly truth-
ful and chivalrous; brave to infatuation; true and just in all
their dealings.
Among such tribes as these, Christian teachers go to work
hopefully, a.s the Culdees of old came to the.se Isles of Hritain
to teach our pagan forefathers. It may lie that iis our own
most rude heatheni.sm has so utterly melted away, that Britain
now ranks high among the Christian nations; so thc.se wild
tribes may prove as a focus of light, which may yet spn ad over
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
46
the length ami hrciulth of the hind in a wave so ini^dity and
resistless as may sweep away all vestiye of the faiths of Brahma
and Mohammed, as utterly as they in their turn extinguished
that of Buddha. Perchance the Hindu antiquarian of some
future generation may speculate aud theorize over each trace of
these forgotten mysteries, just as our own learned men now
do over such meagre hints as they can gather from Stonehenge
and other speechless stones.
To return, however, to that long period during which the
Aryans carried all before them in India.
They held sway till the birth of Buddha, 023 B.C., whose
strange career was chiefly run in these provinces. It wiis in the
kingdom of Oude that upwards of two thousand years ago this
young prince (Siddhartha, aHun Gautama, alias Sakya-muui, ix.,
the solitary or monk, alias Buddha, the wise, the enlightened
one, he to wliom truth is known) found himself surrounded by
all the splendour of a luxurious court, of which he himself was
the centre. Nevertheless he quickly learned old Solomon’s
lesson of vanity' and vexation of spirit. Vainly did he seek
counsel of the most learned Brahmins, hoping from them to
receive that key' of a spiritual world that might unlock the
iny.steries and perplexities of the present. But tlie Brahmins
had already lost the purity of their own grand old faith. Even
in those early days the simplicity of the Vedas had given place
to a mass of traditions and puerile fables.
Such husks as these could never satisfy the cravings of
Gautama’s hungry' soul. At length, escajung from his grandeur
in the garb of a religious mendicant, he devoted him.self to an
a.scetic life of contemplation, seeking with unuttemble longing
for peace of spirit. Though exposed to sore temptation from
vile demons, he still persevered ; sitting for weeks in abstracted
thought; striving to think out many of the problems that have
in all ages given food for deepest speculation. At length he
came to the satisfactory conclusion that ignorance is the cause of
all evil and misery, and that by a rigid course of well-doing
every man may at length (probably after various tran.smigra-
tions) l>e freed from the burden of existence, and delivered from
the necessity of ever being born again to any new form of being.
In other words, he may attain Nirvana, a condition of dreamless
rest ; .some say, annihilation.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
Having tlius discovered the root of perfect wisdom, ho rose
from his lengthy contemplations, and assuming the title of the
Buddha, the enlightened one, he determined to impart that light
to all his fellow-creatures. Comtueneing at Benares, he wan-
dered over the Northern Provinces, teaciiing and preaching a
doctrine of human brotherhood, which, without alwlishing caste,
made it null and void. The new system breathed universal
charity and sympathy with all men. To the lowest outcast, the
blessedness of Nirvana w.as as freelj’ open as to the highest.
Woman was henceforward, in her own sphere, to mnk equal
with man. Tliousands flocked to listen to this new doctrine of
kindline.ss, brotherhood and humanity. A mighty reaction set
in against the narrow bigotry of Brahminism, and the e.Kclusive-
ness of its caste systetn.
It has coininonly Wn stated that Buddha himself was de-
scended from the royal Aryan race of Sakya.s who reigned in
Oude, and that the exalted rank thus voluntarily abjured, tended
greatly to attract the ])cople to hear him. It is curious, how-
ever, that all his statues invariably represent him with the
heavy features common among the lower castes ; the thick lips
and flat nose of the aborigines, and curly hair like that of a
negro, whereas all castes alike in India have straight silky hair.
Just as the calm features of the Sphinx are simply a repro-
duction of the sullen Cojttic lyi>e, so these contem]ilative
Buddhas would plainly seem to ivpresent a cast of countenance
in nowise ndated to the intellectual Aryan Brahmin, and by
him utterly despised.
It was no marvel then that multitudes of the enslaved abo-
riginal trilies should eagerly' gatlier round their great champion,
hoping to throw off the Aryan yoke which had so long weighed
heavily on soul as well as Iwly. But not only among the ]>oor
and o})pre.ssed classes did Gautama number his converts — kings,
princes, nobles, rallied round him, to listen to Ids words of per-
suasive eloquence.
At the age of eighty he died, in calmest serenity, in the king-
dom of Oude, and his body was burned with all honour. From
that funeral pyre his disciples, in later times, pretend that aU
those worehi] ful relics were preserved w hich now receive a
homage that would doubtle.ss have vexed poor Buddha's soul.
After his death his devoted missionaries zealously preached the
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
47
new faith, so that about B.c. 300 it liiul spread all over Asia.
In every j>lace, his I'ollowers erected colossal statues in his
hi’iiour. We hear of the Chinese captnrin" one of these in their
raids to the north of the great desert of Gold, B.C. 130. It was
made of solid gold, like those whicdi have latterly fallen into
such disfavour in Japan. Gigantic stone images of liiiddha
still remain in the wiliU of the Southern Jungles, and rock-hewn
temples, elaborately carved, still tell of the faith which once
reigned supreme throughout Hindustan, though it has long since
passcil away hence.
(.)ne striking feature in the rapid spread of Buihlhism is that
(unlike the faith of Islam, whose gentlest persuasive reasoning
lay in fire and sword), it has never employed violence, but, like
the mightiest powers in the physical world, has dilfiised its in-
fluence calmly and silently, and at the present moment its
disciples number 45o,000,000 of the human race 1 in other words,
about one third of the earth’s pojmlation. Xay, more ; its in-
fluence seems to have e.xtencled to many an undreamt-of quarter,
and to have even given something of its own tone and colour to
the Christian Church, many of whose most cheri.shed institu-
tions — such as the veneration for relics, the canonization of
saints, the use of rosaries, the divers onlers of monastic life, the
rigid vows of poverty and asceticism, celibacy of the clergy
priestly rol>es and shaven crowns, processions carrying banners,
chanted litanies, use of incense and holy water, and very many
other ecclesiastical details — can only be accounted for on the
supposition, which, indeed, is well-nigh a certainty, that they
were adopted by the Christians of Egypt, from tlie practice of
the Buddhists, by whom all these things were as religiously
observed long before the Christian era, as they continue to be at
this day.
The rosaries commonly used were simply strings of black
beads, but some were of exceeding value, and made of strings of
rubies, emeralds, and other precious stones. Toderini speaks of
“ Le Tespih, qui est un chapelet, composd de 99 petites boules
d’agathe, de jaspe, d’ambre, de cor.iil, ou d’autre mati^re prccieuse.
J’en ai vu un superbe au Seigneur Terpos ; il ^tait de belles et
grosses perles parfaites et cgales, eslimc trente rnille piastres.”
The widespread tendency to the telling of beads, is one of
the strange devotional oddities common to many creeds. Wo
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48 FROM THE HEBRIDES
are apt to consider such vain repetitions i)fculiar to our Roman
hrethren, wliercas we find that not only the forty-four millions
of Buddhists find solace therewith, hut also a viist multitude of
Brahmins and Mohammedans. I do not know whether the
practice is invariable in all parts of the empire, but in Guzerat
and various other districts every Brahmin carries a rosary of one
hundred and eight beads, made of some sacred wood, and if he
be zealous, he will tell them over four or five times before break-
fast, after he has washeil and dressed his idols, and adored the
sun. Even the grave, sensible Mohammedans are not .always
proof against this spiritual treadmill. Those of Syria, for instance,
count as diligently as the Christians. I think their rosaries
also number one hundred and eight lie-ads. So do those of the
Buddhists in China and Japan, who from time immemorial have
been taught to rc[>eat one hundred and eight prayers daily, as
the safeguard against the hundred and eight possible sins. Con-
.sequeutly they each wear a chaplet of one hundred small beads
and eight large ones.
It is said that this curious custom of praying by a numerical
calculation originated with the Hindus, who are certiiinly known
to have counted their wearisome oft-told petitions by means of
bead-string.s, from the very earlie.st ages. From them the custom
was bfjrrowed by the Mohammedan dervishes (who, like their
heathen neighbours, had full faith in the efficacy of “much
siHiiiking ”), and it is supposed that when the Moors invaded
Spain in a.d. 711 , it was adopted by the Roman Catholic popu-
lation ; for traces of the use of beads have been detected so early
as the tenth century, though it was not till the thirteenth that
they came into common favour, and that the rosary was divided,
like that still in use, into fifteen decades of small beads for the
Ave Maria, with a large bead between each ten for the Pater
Noster. This suggestion of a Moorish origin seems the more
probable, as the invention of the chaplet is generally ascribed to
St. Dominic, whose labours were chiefly among the Spaniards.
Others, however, have attributed it to Peter the Hermit.
Dr. Rock, speaking of the origin of the Rosarj' (not its pagan
origin, however !), tells us that it was customary in early days
for the devout daily to recite the whole Psalter. But as a hun-
dred and fifty psalms involved a somewhat lengthy process, it
became custon.ary to substitute short prayers, which might be
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 40
ni])idly uttered amid llie stir and business of life, witliuut too
great a demand on tlie attention. Hence the adoption of the
hundred and fifty soon-said “ Aves " in lien of the wliole Psalter ;
the uttenince of the shorter fonu, duly munhered on a rosary,
with ten intervening “Hail Marys,” being thus accounted as
meritorious as the longer form of worship.
The Coptic Christians, however, content themselves with still
shorter pmyers. Their ro.saries only numlter forty-one beads,
which is the more remarkable, ns there can be little doubt that
tlie custom was introduced into Kgypt at the same time as the
monastic system, both being directly borrowed from Buddhism,
which, as we have seen, enjoins the telling of one hundred and
eight lK3ads.
The most remarkable use of the ro.sary among the Mohamme-
<lans is a ceremony practised on the night succeeding a burial,
known as the night of desolation, while the soul is still believed
to remain in the body, ere taking wing to the place of sjjirits.
About fifty holy men assemble, ami one brings a ro.siiry of a
thousand l«?ads, each as large as a pigeon’s egg. After reciting
certain chapters of the Koran they repeat " Allah el Allah !” three
thousand times, while one of the party counts the beads, pausing
after each thousand to rest and drink coffee. Afterwards, divers
short prayers are uttered, each one hundred times ; the whole
merit of this very severe Ixidily exerci.se is formally a,ssigned to
the deceaseil, and in the case of rich men the ceremony is some-
times repeated three nights running. How far Christianity has
improved on this original may lie somewhat a nice question. The
oft-told rosaries nunilicr the Christian prayers for tlie dead by
tens of thousands, while one religious onler (the Fraternity of
the Holy Kosary) owns no dearer Ixmd of brotherhood tlian the
regularity with which the beads are told.
The faith of Buddha now no longer finds a resting-place in
Hindustan, the land of its birth, save at lea.st in the mountains
on the frontiers of Thibet and (Chinese Tartary; and recent
accounts from Japan tell that the Emperor has abjured the
creed of his fathers, and sold Buddha’s great golden statue for its
weight as old metal, but this dreamy faith still holds undisputed
sway in Ceylon, Burmah, and the adjacent countries, while it
extends north through Thil>et, ^longolia and all Central Asia,
right up to Silxwia and I.apland.
VOL It. K
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50 FROM THE HEBRIDES.
It is said that in Tliibet the Buddhist monks actually number
one-third of the population ! It is probable that the monastic
system similarly overdid itself in India, and that, while the
cleverest and best men, were tlius Hying from their fellows, or
seeking to attain to still higher sanctity by a living burial in
caves and deep forest solitudes, the ma.sses found the new faith
too spiritual and negative to .suit their daily need, and quickly
relapsed into the grossest devil-worship.
Then Brahminism crept out again, and seems to have given up
the attempt to teacli its sublimer dogmas, and, while its learneil
men adhered to the spiritual worship of the Vedas, they encou-
raged the people to offer bloody sacrifices to such malignant
demons as Kali and Siva, and Iniilt up the present system of
ultra-idolatrous modern Hinduism. Then they deviserl new
sacred books for the people, the I’uranas, popular religious
works, for the esj>ecial benefit of women and Sudras, or low
castes. There were mythologies of the grossest sort, to which
by degrees tliey have added all manner of secular matter, till
they are said nither to resemble curious encyclopa-dias than
theological works.
Thus the Brahmins artfully regained their a.scendancy, and the
Buddhist monks found that out of sight is not always out of mind,
for so soon as homage ceased, persecution began, and they were
driven forth from every corner of the land. Only in the moun-
tain glens and rocky defiles of the Himalayas could they find a
refuge ; for the soft sons of the jdaius cared not to scale those
mighty ramparts for the mere plea.sure of hunting down their
fallen rivals. So in Burmah, Nepaul, and Thibet, the persecuted
monks found .sanctuary, and there reinaine*.! unmolested. In
after ages, when the sword of Mohammedan persecution ravage<l
the land, the Brahmins in their turn found refuge and liberty of
conscience in the same free mountain air.
Having thus glanced over the principal great changes of
faith which by turn have held supreme sway in this land —
Aboriginal, Pure Aryan, the.se blending to produce the Brahmin ;
next Budilhist, .lain, very degenerate Brahmin, Mohammedan ;
and now once more Brahmin, or Hindu — we will leave the
twin cities of Muttra and Bindraluind to their many memories,
and travel northward to the great Mohammedan city of Delhi.
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CHAPTER III.
DELHI AND MEERUT.
If Agra held iis spellbound ns in a dream of all that is pure
and lovely in architecture, Delhi remains stamped on our memo-
ries as the very embodiment of power and strength, a dwelling-
place of giants. Nowhere will you find more marvellous proofs
of the might of the Mohammedan empire, or be more imprcs.sed
with reverence for the master minds which designed such won-
drous stnictures, than in these two cities of the Moguls.
Fain would I linger in telling you of the marvels of Delhi,
of the great walled city wherein the wicked king so recently
held his vile but gorgeous court, of the solemn beauty of the
mighty mosques wherein the white-robed worshippers assemble
in throngs so vast ; and, above all, of the wild, silent desolation of
the great plain beyond, thickly strewn with stupendous rains of
Cyclopean forts, huge tombs with gigantic gateways — the smallest
of which would make the finest of our old English bars seem utterly
puny and contemptible— and marble mosque.s, who.se glittering
white contrasts with the world of carved red sandstone on every
sida Here each successive emperor of the mighty Patlian
dynasty has left his mark, and you may wander in ever)- direc-
tion over an expanse of four-and-twenty miles, exploring the
wonders of this marvellous world of ruins.
To realize the tomb of any Mohammedan of note, you must
picture to yourself St. Paul’s converted into marble and .set
down in a great garden, with all the bai-s of York piled into
one to act as gateway ; or perhaps a whole nest of domes, all
inlaid with encau.stic tiles of ever)- brilliant metallic colour —
green, blue and gold, bronze or violet — the whole supported on
tall pillai-s and arches, jierfect as on the day they left the sculp-
tor’s hand. Imagine such buildings as these, dotting the plain
E 2
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
on eveiy siJe, and intersj>eivi*il with niijrhty niins of every sort
and kind the whole boii-owiiu; fresh hiseination from the ntter
desolation of the scene. Von may wander alwut alone the live-
long day, f>erhap3 flushing a fli>ek of gorgeous wild pea-fowl,
which flash jmst you like a gleam of rainlww light as they vanish
among the dark trees, or you may startle some inite jx)reupine
fnuii his midday sifsta ; but the chances are that you will never
•see a human being, except, it may be, a jxjor goathenl, trying to
Collett green branches to keep his Hock alive during the long
drought, or s«.>me wild-looking camel-<lriver, whose hungry charge
are foraging for themselves, cropping the foliage of the sweet
balsM)l trees, tlieir great flat feet moving so noi.selessly that only
the tinkling of their bells reveals their pre.<ence. Every sj)ecie3
of wild bea.st and binl finds refuge among tlie ruins, esiiccially
deer and black j>:irtridge —so it is a ixir.ulise for sixjrlsmen as
well as artists.
Only think ! game of all sorts and sizes, and no taking out a
gun-licence or fear of tivspassi Our first days at llelhi were
•sjient just outside the walls of the present city, in the luxurious
camp of an old friend, who gave us coixlial welcome to his loco-
motive home ; and a very cosy home it was, with dining-ix>om
tent and dniwing-rooin tent and capital tents for friends, while
our hoste.ss’s sleei>ing tent and nurseries were enclosed by a high
canvas wall, within which the memest and rosiest little one.s
might play to their heart.s’ content, and certainly they proved
that their jiatriarchal life agreisl with them. The sen’ants and
cfM)king were established .sonicwliert^ in the background, while
uniler shadow of the trees a flock tif forty camp camels browsetl,
or gninted or roared as they fell inclincil.
Delhi is one of the few towns we saw which lH)asts of mlher
a hanilsome English church, the white dome of which, apjtearing
over the Ca.shniere Date, might Ik* mi.stakeii for a niosrjue, but
for the cn>ss on the cujsila, on which the tiatives liKik with some
awe, inasmuch as when, in the terrible days of ISoT, shot and
•shell (lew round it like hail, and greatly damaged the roof, it
escai>ed all injury. The church was built by Colonel Skinner,
who, having for forty years made India his home, had become
so libend in his views that he simultaneously erected a very line
mosque for the Mohammedans ami a temple for the Hindus, not
knowing on which to bc.stow his preferenca However, a small
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
13
tablet in the chui-ch reconls tliat in his later hoiii-s lie ileeided
in favour of Christianity. He it was who niised the Isidy of
irnij^ilar horse lieaviii" his name. He was a brave ollicer, and
much distinguisheil in the wars of laml I-ake and Lout Ha.stinos.
He alstj seems to have bi-ouelit his arms to tlie assistance of
divers native princes, and nlto^'Cther passed tIirou};h a strangely
cheiiuered course of service. He was a good tyjie of a race of
british otlicers which has died out with the facilities of return to
F.ngland ; men who in course of thirty or forty years forgot all
ditference of colour and of faith, and t<Mjk to themselves wives of
the daughters of the land, as.similating in their manners and
customs to the iK-ople amongst whom they lived, them.selves
liecoming half Hindu and half Mohammedan. Hence in several
iilol temples we were shown beautifully-wnjught bells and other
things, which the priests atlirmed had been presented by Euro-
]H*aus as thank-oH’erings for recover}' from illness !
One pleasant morning we started, as usual, at daybreak, the
air crisp and fresh on this .lauuary morning as on an English
May -day. M'e drove to the old palace, and through the grand
gateway, {awhaps the stnmgest we had yet seen — arch In-yond
arch of solid red sandstone, more like a huge tunnel than a mass
of building. AVe walked all along the great walls in seiirch of
the liest piint fnmi which to sketch the Juinina Musjid, a
magnificent mosque. That point we a.scertained to be the Hat
itMjf of a baltoo's house, so an intimation was sent to him that a
great mem-sahib desired to honour him with her ))reseiice. The
liidwo, however, hail gone into the city, but a bystander offered
me the use of his roof, if I could only get on to it. He was a
j>oor farrier, but a thorough gentleman, and did the honours of
his house admirably. He took me u)) his crazy sbiirs to an
uj)|K;r court ojjcn to the sky, off which opened various small
riMiins. Then he placed his jioor rickety cliarjioi/ (bedstead,! on
end again.st the wall, that I might u.se it ;is a ladder. 1 managed
to scnunble uji, and there sat all the morning without intrusion,
my feminine presence being considered sacred. The gooil man
declined going to his work all that day, having had so great a
charge committeil to him. AVe ventured to suggest that he
might depute that responsil>ility to his wife, but he .scouted the
idea its prejio.sterous — to think that she could look after any
article so important! So he sat patiently at the foot of the
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il FROM THE HEBRIDES
liulder, hour utter liour, till the Htihib-lixju ('•'entlefolk) came
to reclaim their hostafje, when he hel|X!d me to scramble down
again, and vowed that his roof had acquired a new interest !
Apart from the novelty of the studio, it always astonishes the
natives to see any one drawing or painting from nature. They
them.selves paint exquisite architectural miniatures, but they
invariably say that the white men only photograph. Certainly
the intricacy of arche.s, domea, minarets, and cupolas involves
an amount of patience and care that few might be disposed to
give. This gnvnd mosque, and another vcit similar one (which,
rising from the brink of the river, has the additional charm of
being therein mirrored), are tinted with divers marbles. An
immense outer wall of red sandstone arche.s forms a quadrangle,
at the four cornera of which are towers, whose marble domes
rest on slim red pillars. At the thrt'c sides, immensely wide
flights of marble stairs lead n]> to three great gateways; the
central one, which faces the east, is so holy that only on great
feasts is it u.sed. By these gateways you enter the usual great
open court, surrotindtKl on three sides by long colonna<les of red
sandstone. On the fourth side ri.se the arch&s of the mosque
itself, which also of course faces the east, .so that the worshipj>er
ns he enters may find himself looking towards the west, that is,
towards Jlecca. All is of the same deep-red stone inlaid with
white marble, and verses from the Koran in huge letters in
black marble. The three great domes of white marble are
fluted with black, and carry the eye up to the glittering pin-
nacles; the tall minarets are fluted with red and white alter-
nately, while every little turret is crowned with a marble dome
supported by red pillars. Add to this u few green trees, a clear
blue sky with fleecy white clotids, and an atmosphere of balmy
sunshine, and yoti have before you a teaqde worthy of the
name.
Strange (is it not ? ) to think for how short a time the Moham-
medans held their sway in this land, and yet how quickly
they multiplied these grand buildings in every comer of the
country. It is said that this one alone co.st Shah Jehan a sum
eipial to 120 , 000 /., ami Ihul was two hundred years ago, and in
India, where labour is a very cheap commodity, even now.
Ceitiiinly, if the (’hristians were driven out of India to-morrow,
their successors would find little to admire in their puny chapels
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of brick and moilHi-, few and far between. The niosiiues are
open at all hours and seasons, that every passer-by may enter
and worship. So all day long you see a constant succession
of men going up to the temple to pray. They lay down their
shoes and their bundles beside them, and go through the cere-
monial washings at the great marble fountain. Then, having
jirayeii, tliey go on with their day’s work.
Every good Mohammedan is bound to pray five times a day :
at dawn, at noon, in the afternoon, at sunset, and at night. Before
he ventures to pray, however, he must at least cleanse his hands,
bis feet, and his face, for the Prophet has declared that “Ablution
18 the half of prayer.” If he cannot get water, esjrecially running
water, wherewith to wash, he may rub himself witli a little earth
or sand, which is also purifying. Then bowing down with his
face to the gi’Oiind, he lays his forehead in the dust. His prayer
is acconijianied with perpetu.'d changes of posture ; perhaps if
he is in a great hurry, they occur eight or ten times in a minute.
Sometimes he stands with hands extended, repeating the ninety-
nine attributes of Goil ; then, falling prone on the earth,
covers his mouth with his hands ; then kneels with hands laid
palm to palm ; then raised heavenward, while his body is bowed
to earth, or curved backward, but always facing Mecca. The
bystander is very apt to look on all this as mere formalism.
Doubtle.'^s in many instances it is so ; for our dark brothers do
not monopolize the \drtues any more than the vices.
But if you enter such a mosque as this on a Friday — the
^lohammedaii Sabbath — at one o’clock, the hour of prayer, and
l(K)k down on that vast congregation of w'hite-rolied worshippers,
going through the moves with a jirecision that would reduce a
rigid Bitualist to de.s])air, you will be forced to acknow ledge that
you have never lieheld a scene mom solemn. Tliere is riMiiii
in that great court for twelve thousand persons, and the whole,
of this as.semblage kneel, pray, prostrate themselves, ri.se again,
stand up with uplifted hands and heaven-turned faces, as though
touched by an electric 8 ])ring. The great quadrangle is paved
like a ches.s-ltoard in black and white marble, that every man
may stand on his own scpiare, and that all may be equal. .And
overhead, the broad calm blue sky is spread cs the sole canopy.
Just before the sendee In-gan, a kind old man took us up to a
small alcove in the great Mecca gateway, whence we might peep
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into the mosque at tlie furtlier side, and look down on the sea of
turkuied heads below. A few women knelt apart near the door-
way. The fact of their beinjj; there at all was of dubious pro-
])i'iety ; moreover it seems very uncertain whether the pmyer of
a woman has any chance of reacliing heaven. However, the
jMjor tilings would not lose tliat chance, and, as they passed out,
they gave alms of such things as they had to the mi.scrable
beggars who are always ready to be made use of as stepping-
stones heavenward.
Inteuisely intentsting as was the comparatively modem city,
there was to us an irresistible fascination in the great desolate
plain, where onc.e such tides of surging life had flowed, and very
soon we betook ourselves to a small rest-house, at the Ixise of the
mighty Kootab, which is a stuiiendous minaret, towering like
a giant in the very centre of the jdaiii. It is 24-0 feet in
height, of dark red sandstone, elabomtely carved, and covered
with inscriptions in the Kutic or ancient Arabic character;
gigantic letters, sevend feet in depth. I have never felt so awe<l
by any human work as when standing at the base of this
jiondennx.s giant, the lower half still veiled in pur])lc shadow,
while the summit glowed like a pillar of lire in the orange
sunlight.
Round this vast tower cluster hundreds of Hindu pillai-s, each
different in design, and just beyond stands one great domed
building, which above all others fascinated us by the rare lieauty
of its exquisite carving. It was built by Akbar as a college
where his wise men might meet lor discussions. Being open on
all sides, it acts as a great giiteway, and from its position so near
the giant minaret and the old Hindu pillars, it .seems as if
purposely built as a magnificent ])ortal to that court of rare
ai-t^work. Its four siiles are alike — ileep-red sandstone inlaid
with white marble, and covered from the base to the summit
with rich tracery, standing out in Isild relief. Fi-om each
aide you enter by a flight of .steps beneath a txdl t'lothic arch,
edged with beautifully-chiselled dog-tooth patbu-n, which 1 did
not observe on any other building. Your eye passes from the
intensely wann depth of maroon and claret coloureil shadow of
the interior to the dazzling blue of the sky, seen thnuigh the
dog-tooth arch opposite. Over every inch of the interior, the
same wealth of carving is lavi.shed in endle.s.s variety of gco-
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67
metrical j)atteriis, ataruling out in l)ol(l relief, and in utmost
retineinent of e.xecution. Nothing hut photography couhl
convey an idea of its richness, and it would lack the charm
of warm colour.
Several happy days slipped away while exploring such scenes
a.s these, and our gip.sy life was so thoroughly enjoyable that we
sorely ivgretted when the time came to settle down to civilized
life at ^feerut. Nevertheless it was very pleasant, after some
experience of Indian hotels and rest-houses, to find ourselves
again at home — in an unknown country certainly, but with an
unmistakably home-like feeling about the pretty drawing-room,
with its comfortable sofas and arm-chairs, and fresh, bright
chintz curtains, and crimson and white purdahs ' draping all the
unsightly doors, which take up so large a proportion of every
Indian room.
Ill the cool shade stand quaint Indian vases of some silvery
metal, with delicious nosegays of roses and orange-blossoms and
all manner of sweet flowers, which the mdli (gardener) brings
in fresh each morning. If you have any doubts of their being
the produce of your own garden, you need ask no questions ;
nobody does so. So long as your table is duly supplied with
vegetable;?, and your vases with flowers, you may rest satisfied.
The mdiis are supposed to have a system of exchange or black-
mail, and the best servant is he who best forages for his master.
Indeed, .some maintain that the best system of all is to keep a
ganlener and no garden !
Meerut is a purely military’ station, and has therefore little
of an es.sentially native character to mark it. It is far from
any river, and its situation is altogether hideous. It was
.selected in olden days as an advantageous spot to concentrate
a strong European force wlierewitli to overawe Delhi, only
forty miles distant ; for it had Ixien stipulated in one of our
treaties with the Moguls, that no British infantry or cavalry or
Euro])ean troops whatsoever should ever be quartereil in the
imperial city or its immediate neighlKuirhood. Consequently
the whole town is modern, having no buildings of any esjiecial
interest. The infantry, native cavalry, hu.ssar, and ailillery
lines are the four principal divisions of the town, or rather of
the innumerable bungalows ; each standing quite aj>art from its
' I’lUtii'KH.
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M FROM THE HEBRIDES
ufifiliboure, in its own compound, whic’i iimj- lie field or garden,
shady or bare, acconiing to the taste of yonr pre<leces!sors.
Happily that taste has generally inclined to shade, so that all
the pointed thatch roofs and white or green verandalis (the
houses are only one storey high) are veiled by abundant greenery,
and the general effect of the town is pretty enough. Of course
where each house and shop has so large a compound the town
straggles over a very large sjiaee, and a call at the other end of
the station is qnite a morning's work. The social mechanism of
India Inis one peculiarity in this matter of visiting, namely, that
the new comer must call first. Hence the remark of an Anglo-
Indian lady — “country-bred” as the phrase goes — alxiut to idsit
Uritain for the first time, that a-s soon as ever she reached
lamdon she “ inteiuled to invite all the station to dinner ! ” Does
it not remind you of a certain dear old lady who drove her own
carriage and horses all the way from Forres to Loudon, and iis
she neareil the city, Ijade her coachman drive into town the
liack way, iis she did not wish to meet jKsiple that evening ?
In so lluctualing a society a.? that of India this arrangement
of first calls is really a very kiiully institution, snpjiosed to
admit the stmnger at once to the full swing of .social life, or
else, should he prefer solitude, to the full enjoyment thereof.
It also allows jieople time to shake into their new houses
liefore Ijeiiig molested by visitors, and this, in a countiy where
a change of home is of such freijuent occuncuce, is a decided
advantage.
On the other hand, it is very overwhelming to receive a list
of the inhabitants, all utter strangers, and, without any know-
ledge of their various jieculiarities and emlle.ss “ cliques,” to go
the round of the .station, knowing that should anyone be acci-
(huitally oinitteil it would be a cause of most dire otl'ence Of
course, once this grand round has liecn accomplished, you are at
lil icily to select ns limited a circle of friends as you ]ilea.se out
of the ma-ss of acquaintances.
The most alisunl thing is, that the hours of tailing are from
twelve till two, the only time of the day, during the cool .seruson,
V hen it is unpleasant to leave the shade tif your own verandah ;
and very few ladies have ns yet found strength of mind to break
through this cn.stom anil institute undisturlied forenoons and
social afterno<in.s. Consequently the old definition of morning
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69
CJillei-s iis “ the pestilence that wasteth at noonday,” is rigidly
tnie.
After these ceremonious visits some of your more intimate
friends will probably drop in to tiffin, and remain chatting till
the hour for the evening drive; and as another batch of friends
jirobably look in after the early morning ride, it follows that
the whole day is more or less cut up by perpetual small-talk ;
and some churlish spirits there are who, wearying of this
pleas.int, easy society, are sometimes tempted to wish that
people woidd inflict lass of their idleness on one another. The
real grievance, you see, lies in the midday calls, a grievance
kept up by the genuine old Anglo-Indian, who adheres so
inflexibly to the old custom that after 2 P.M. he considers your
visit quite a matter of ignorance or incivility — if, indeed, he
admits you at all. More frequently the white-rolted attendants
have ordem to dismiss all comera with the curt announcement
of “ darwaz.1 band ” — “ closed door.”
The exj)enditure of pastelward on these occasions Ls very
great, as, owing to the native mispronunciation of names, it is
always considered necessary to herald your entrance to the
house even of intimate friends by sending in your caid, which,
having been duly inspected by the lady of the house, results in
her either sending you her salaam, which is eijuivalent to a
welcome, or else, by that metaphorical closing of the door, you
are dismissed, after waiting some minutes in an open carriage
under a grilling sun.
The only persons who are exempt from the law of making
the first call, and indeed from the necessity of returning any,
are the Governors of Provinces and their families. But as we
piussed through the varirms large towns we found a curious
social war raging here and there. It had occurretl to the wives
of a few men holding high otlices that, as their husbands are
mentioned in the public services of the Church in the same
clause as the Governors, they were of course entitled to the same
social homage. This being by no means the opinion of the other
ladies of the community, a ludicrous schism ensued, which, in
the lack of more worthy matter, proved a fertile subject for con-
versation and dispute.
In the mother country, we had so often heard many dis-
paraging remarks upe)n Indian society th.at it was like a
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
glimpse of a world uot realized to find, wliorever we halted, so
large and so verj- pleasant a colony of kind and agreeable
Britons, hearing the well-known names of every goo«l family in
tlie United Kingdom; in fact, tlie younger sons and hrotliers of
all who constitute good society at home, the chief perceptible dif-
ference Iwtween the two being that in tlie one case both bread
and iwsitiou have invariably l*een earneil by hanl lalKuir, while
in tlie other they have genemlly lieen inherited ; and I am not
sure that the advantage lies wholly in the scale of inheritance.
As a matter of course, honour and precedence are likewise
things to be earned, so that the rank which a man holds as his
birthright is set aside as a mere accident, social position being
determined by office or length of service, and consequent wealth.
Kverylx)dy knows to a fraction how many rupees per month
everyone else draws, and both breadwinner and family take
rank accoi-diiigly, not only among their equals, but in the estima-
tion of the natives, who do all that in them lies to make a man’s
expenditure advance with his income.
Foremost among the oft-repeated chaigcs brought against social
life in India are tho.se which tell of incessant broils and bicker-
ings as the inevitable result of the fiery climate. I doubt,
however, whether the sunny east has any mouoixily of these
amuseinents, or whether the western “ |iot ” has any right to revile
the eastern “ kettle ” on that score. “ Fulness of bread, abundance
of idleness, and neglect of the poor,” do their work pretty much
alike everj’where • and there are few county towns or small
social cli(iues in Britain that could not tell the same tale of how
(not only in the ca.se of mistresses and servants, but even of
gushing friends) the angels of one year are the devils of the
next, and the whitest swans are proved to be the greyest
geese.
During our stay at Meerut we were very fortunate in the
]>usition of our bungalow, being on the edge of the Maiilan, or
common — a wide open sjMice where all the ti-oops e.xercise, ami
where field-days and laige reviews arc held, generally in the
early morning, when batteries of artillery pour their volley.s,
and skirmishing parties gallop about the Hindu villages to the
extreme disgust and awe of the natives. The Native Cavalry
and our own Horse Artillery are very ]>icturcsque ingredients;
the former of coiii’se have Briti.sh ollicer.s, who.se rich puggarees
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(turl'iui) are the only excepliims to the tliick helmet of white
linen worn by all our English tr(H)j>s. The Highlanders seem
to be the only men proof against sunstroke, adhering steadfastly
throughout the winter months to their feather Ixuinets, though
the heavy nuiss of black must draw heat frightfully, and of
course gives no shelter to neck or face. In summer, however,
even they are driven to wear the invariable white helmet.
E.xcept during the few winter months all the troo]>s come
out in white uniform, anil very clean they look, not to say
glaring.
Tliere is a very large church, always crowdeil, ami the first
tiling that arrests the eye fresh from England is the enormous
preponderance of men, the women being a mere handful. The
services are veiy short — litany and sermon, or morning prayer
and sermon, alternate Sundays, lieing the general allowance for
which the miuss of the congregation a.ssembles. Thi.s is in con-
sequence of a plea.sant fiction aliout heat, although these winter
months are really only like our own summer, and the wide-open
windows keep the interior of all buildings so cwl that punkahs
are not required, nor do we suHer from the stuttine.ss and bad
air too common in European churches.
When the real summer heat begin.s, the troops march to
church on Sunday or to drill on week-days at 5 A.M., and be-
fore 7 A.M. must all be shut up for the day in their several
quarters, with native servants to do all needful work. Very
tedious thc.se long days must Ijc, in darkened rooms, under the
incessant monotonous swing of the jainkah ; every breath of the
scorching air from the furnace outside jealously excluded, e.xcept
such as enters through screens of Iragnint cuscas grass, on which
water is incessantly thrown, and the rajiid evaporation produces
sivme coolne.ss.
The “ Therm-antidote,” which consists of great fans of the same
gra.ss, set like a wheel, so as to revolve rapidly, is another means
to the same end, and woe be to the careless attendant who.se
weary hand slackens at his work. There are not lacking in-
stances in which half a dozen men have lieen found dead in one
morning in barracks from heat ajioplexy, owing to the piaikah-
vallah yielding to the soporific monotony of his work. Not that
he is himself exempt from danger. .One gentleman told mo
that last summer, turning suddenly round to revile the idle
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«* FROM THE HEBRIDES
hand that had cf^«ed its work, he p» rceive*l that tlie man lay
dead, with the rope in his hand.
These bein^ the conditions under which the English in the
plains must gasp through the weary summer, with friends and
acijuaintances on e%ery side sun-smiiten, or fever-stricken, it is
little wonder that the crowded churchyards tell so dire a tale of
quick mortality.
As I now write, there pass before my mind visions of a mul-
titude of kindly faces of those who were so recently my coni-
]>anions in those pleasant days ; those who have shared our
wanderings and our mirth, young brides and young soldiers,
sailors and civilians, bright young girls or careworn mothers,
and children without number, all j>assed away ; and the stream
oT life has flowed on, and their absence has scarcely been noticed
even in the little circle of changing Indian society.
Nothing strikes a new comer with such amazement as the
apparent apathy with which the.se tidings of sudden deaths are
received. You inquire for the friend of last week, the belle of
that ball, the winner of the last race, and the answer commonly
enough is, “ Buried this morning. Taken ill yesterday after-
noon, anil only lived a few hours.” ilost probably unconscious
all the time. One instance I knew of a man who attended his
commanding oflicer’s funeral in the morning, and w;rs himself
buried at noon. Another day, two young ollicers started
together for a morning in the jungle. They were to meet at
breakfast time. One duly returned, but becoming anxious
about his comrade, started in search of him. He found him
lying in a nullah, dead. One ray of " the Life-giving Sun ” had
been the swift messenger to call him home. Again and again
the onlerly in going from barracks to the officers' quarteis has
Ix-cn stricken down in a moment, and all the Bheesties in the
neighbourhood have been at work hour after hour pouring
mussocks of cold water over him, to restore him to consciousness,
or allay the agony of a brain on fire; a fire which Death in
veiy pity so often cools by laying his own chill hand on the
throbbing brow.
Should the victim be an officer, or the holder of any appoint-
ment worth having, the prospect of promotion — a step gained — or
the sfieedy applications for the vacant post, generally seem to l>e
the uppermost thought. And all this time the gay life of the
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 63
place goes on with as little intemiption as tliough we were in
the great whirl of London itself, where nobotly expects to be
missed, even for a day.
Close by the church at Meerut is the great uncared-for church-
yard, where many an exile in this Indian land has found his last
rest. It is scarcely sixty years since the first was laid there,
and now it covers nearly five acre.s of ground ; a wilderness of
forgotten dead, whose tomlw, old or new, are already half in
mins. They are inastly built of brick atid mortar, and covered
with white phtster, which soon yiehls to time and climate. Here
in regular rank and file, sleejis an army of several thou.sands of
Kngland's sons, slain by no visible foe ; victims of a climiite
created for another race ; a race who love the sun, and delight in
Ijdng down to sleep with its full rays pouring on their untur-
baned heads.
In one comer, a line of several hundred tombs, lying in file
three deep, marks the graves of the Cameronians, decimated by
fever. Then a va.st numl)er of the Buffs who died of cholera.
The men of each regiment lie together. The infantry in one
iMxly, the cavalr)’ in another, the artillery iKiyond. Civilians
keep aloof in death as in life. Farther off, in the children’s
corner, sleep countless httle ones. Here, in one tomb, sleep two
hot-heade<l lx)ys, who fought a duel to tlecide a dancing question,
and both fell mortally wounded. Beyond licj» the once l>eautiful
caii.se of their rpiarrel, she having fevered and died of grief.
Long ago, an old soldier used to have charge of many of these
tombs, and had touching stories to tell of tho.se whom he had
seen buried there. One of the first laid in the new churchyard
was a fair young wife, to whose grave, through forty long years,
her faithful husband returnetl at intervals; twice he came all
the way from England to .spend a day or two alone beside the
love of his youth. There were other tombs that told no such
talc of constancy. One was a mined heap of red .sandstone and
marble, the unfinished monument to a lady so sorely mourned
that her husband had to be carritnl by force from the church-
yard. He brought materials from Delhi and Agra to do her
honour, but before the costly tomb was half finished, the noisy
grief had expended itself A new queen reigned, so the memorial
to the dead was left in stain quo.
The old soldier had a strange companion in the churchyard.
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namely, a hu"C cobra eaj>ella, with which he had lived on turnm
of intimate friendship for thirteen v'ears. He gave as his reason
for never molesting him, that on one occasion, when a native
came by night to steal the in>n railing placed round a newly-
made grave, this snake bit ami killed the thief. But when the
old until worked at his tombs, and sting his low songs the wliile,
the snake would crawl out of his hole and Uisk in the sun, lying
coiled up and quite still, cliarmetl by “ Kathleen Mavourneen,"
and Viirious old English liallads. Old Mortality w.os niurderetl
in the Mutiny, and the further historv’ of Ijis colira is not on
reconl.
One thing which strikes a new comer as somewhat singular,
is the extremely simple law of chaiK'ronage. It seems to lie
(juite the thing for the prettiest young girls to accept horses and
escort from any gentleman, and ride or drive with them where-
soever and whensoever they please ; and thotigh Mrs. Orumly is
bitter enough on most occasions, she is pleased to sanction this
convenient arrangement to any extent. Among the anomalies
of Indian life in the stations is the hour of daily driving. After
having devotetl the two most dangerous hours (twelve to two) to
the great busine-ss of making calls, it is considered unsafe to
venture out for mere pleasure till just at sunset, when all Ix'auty,
animate and inanimate, is alike invisible, and peojile drive up
and down in the dusk like owls, hardly able to distinguish
their dcare.st friends, still less to profit by the elaborate toilets
that are considered essential for an ajipciinuice on the MalL
Then comes the drive to dinner, and this also seems curious
at first. Evening dress and wreath, in an open carriage, in the
months which ice call winter; returning home in the clear
moonlight, or by the fliushing sheets of lightning, while the air
is fragiant with eastern lilossoms.
We had one beautiful boy, whom we used to think like the
picture of “ The Cenci ” with the great white turban and large
dark eyes. One evil day he came in, and all his beauty was
gone. He had been shaven with all due ceremony, and his
glory was departed. Thenceforward we looked on him only as
a .somewhat obnoxious youtL It is curious to notice how rarely
and grudgingly the white race will allow themselves to see
laiauty in their darker brethren, even when the face is one
which (a few shades paler) would be the admiration of all
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I.ondon. I Inve often marvelled to see English ladies return-
ing from church, where they had been paying devout homage to
the memories of saintly Syrian Jews (the tradesmen of 1,900
years ago), yet shrinking with contemptuous aversion from
contact with their own servant.s — men difl'ering in colour by
but few shades. And socially a man may be guilty of any
enormity, rather than be suspected of having one drop of dark
blood in his veins — so dillicult is it to realize that Black or
White, Coal or Diamoud, are all made of the same stuff.
Here, as in all Indian Stations, the Native town is quite
apart from the European, and very few English ever set foot in
it, though to all lovers of the picturesque it oilers the usual
attractions of a native bazaar. The narrow street of small open
sliops, with all goods exjx'sed to the \>assers by ; the white-
rolHid, turbaneil shojjkeeiier, folded up within the groups of
idlers around in every variety of dress; sellers of fruit, of gleam-
ing brass vessels ; stalls of the favourite native sweetmeats ; stalls
of money-changers, with heaps of divers coins and shells, (the
cowrie, which ptesses current for some incredibly small sum) ;
sellers of caged birds, doves, parrots, hill minas; shops of every
species of cloth, others whose whole trade is in embroidered
skull caps, of brilliant bilk and gold. These are worn as demi-
toilet instead of a turban, or by young children who have not
yet Irecn shaven.
Then there are stalls for gold and silver lace — some for
jewellery — many for all things connected with the joy.s of smok-
ing, especially the pretty vases of silvery metal to hold water,
through which the smoke must pass. These, and a thousand
more, all in brilliant light and shadow, are among the items
which make native life so wonderfully picturesque, though
to the Anglo-Indian they have so utteily lost tlieir novelty
that you can hardly induce them to drive you through a
bazaar.
One such drive I remember with especial pleasure, when a
native gentleman, who had made acquaintance w ith some of onr
party on the hunting field, invited us to his stables, to see a
young elephant just brought in from the jungle, and about to
begin it.s education. The j)oor little thing was dreadfully
frightened, though the piusence of sundry elephantine patriarchs
awed it into good behaviour, to which it was further encouraged
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CO FROM THE HEBRIDES
by being tethered witli ii strong rope of straw, suggesting tlie
old Hindu proverb that “ little things must not be despised,
since many stmws united will bind an elephant.” I lielieve that
every working elephant in the empire Inis been thus free-l)orn,
and enslaved, as it seems that few, if any, are ever reared in
captivity. As we returned to the carriage, a tray of sweetmeats
was given us, of never-to-be-foi^otten goodness; like the very
best almond pxste on a wedding cake. In the fruitless search
for more wc subsequently’ tasted all manner of nasty decoctions;
but they wcie one and all cruelly deceptive.
At certain sejisons it is the custom for native tradesmen and
others to send offerings of these things to their employers. As a
general rule, the recipient, having looked at them, bestows them
at once upon his servant.s, who eat them with infinite delight,
provided mitster has not touched them, but should they once
have been laid on the jdates in common use, none but the lowest
cjiste will take them, or any other food that comes from our
table. It is marvellous to see what piles of good things are at
once handed over to these despised beings, while the othir
servants sit down, each by hhnself, to prepare their miserable
dinner of rice and dahl (a vegetable something like pea-soup
with a dsish of curry in it), and great heavy chupatties, a species
of bread like our scones, which every man must bake for him-
self, after divers washings and ceremonies. Should he be inter-
rupted in the process, his Hour is wa.sted, as no one else may
take his idace as baker. After all, the rice and dahl is not much
worse than the potatoes mashed with mustard and milk, which
fonn the onlinary dinner of a va.st numl)er of our own sturily
Scots.
One of the regular liulian institutions is the race of pedlars
and itinerant merchants of all sorts, who wander from house
to hou.se, followed by two or three coolies bearing cnonnous
bundles, anil, unle.ss summarily dismissed, the contents of these
are in a few minutes, spread all over your verandah. Some-
times they are precious cloths, shawls, and jewels from Delhi, or
lieautifully embroidered woollen things from Kashmere. Some-
times every variety of carved wood and toys, or skins of birds
of radiant plumage. Some bring stores of fruit and jams ; then
comes the, roti-wallnh, or bread-fellow, with tempting biscuits
wherewith to bribe the children, and so mollify the mothers.
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Tlie itinerant jewellers wouKl astonish Storr ami Mortimer bv
the glittering treasures which they produce I'rom a heap of
dirty old rags. Each jewel, which in London would be deemed
worthy of a satin-lined velvet case, is here wrapped up in a bit
of old linen, and by the time the elaborate process of openim;
each little parcel is finished, your verandah becomes a sort of
rag fair, with a little heap of really valuable brooches, bracelets,
and earrings, and a wider circle of trash. It is quite in vain to
prote-st that you have no intention of investing in any of the.se
treasures, the snares must be duly set, and the very smallest
purchase seems to repay these patient traders.
The sonar, or goldsmith, is another variety of jeweller, the
tinker of the trade. His simple apparatus consists of a blow-
pipe, a few seeds which act as weights for miniature scales, and
a tiny pannikin. Should you have any mending to do, or your
servants possess any morsels of gold and silver which they want
fashioned into rings for their noses, or ankles, or toes, the mimr
will quickly prei)are his furnace. He scoops a small hole in the
earth, fills it with charcoal and dry cowdung, and with his iron
blowpipe produces such a blast of air that the little furnace
soon glows hot and red; then the little pellets of precious
metal are weighed in the tiny scales, and the servants keep
close watch for any sleight-of-hand that might suggest dis-
honesty. Then in due time the new adornments are fashioned,
and the proud owner goes off to the bazaar to display his
finery.
A very numerous cla.ss are the Chicken wallahs, or sellers of
wliite embroidery; admirable work, like our best Irish needle-
work, though too often the laljour has been spent on muslin
too fine for lasting wmar.
But the most useful of all are the Kajrra, wallahs, or cloth-
fellows, who carry a wdiole draper’s shop with them ; and the
Box wallahs, whose store is much the same as that of a general
merchant in a country village ; you remember one, in the Higli-
lands, who advertised “ Tea, tar, and treacle, godly books and
gimlets.” Well, his Hindu counterpart carries everything you
can devise, from Parisian jewellery and Shelfield cutlery, to the
last new novel or patent medicine ; and knowing that the value
of a thing is precisely what it will fetch, he finds out its
market value by asking double its worth, but generally ends
F 2
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
by taking a very fail- price, wliicli is more than can be said for
the English sliops, where double and qimdniple prices are un-
blushingly asketl, and no reiluction is made.
The mo.st curious specimen, lu>wever, of itinerant salesmen is
lie who brings an anonymous box from some lady who is just leav-
ing tlie station, and selling oft' her old clothes and other nibbish
— gufh rubbish! Old Ixmnets, half-worn ; white shoes, cmcked
i'ans, sham jewellery, books, trash without end. Having dismissed
him with ignominy, temixired by gratitude for the amusement
his box has given us, we turn to welcome a solemn Wizard of
the Efist, who is sure to be worth some moments’ attention.
There are a certain set of tricks which most jugglers can
pi-actise with considerable skill, such ns swallowing knives, or
even a sword, and blowing fire from the mouth.
The sword swallowing is no sham ; eighteen inches of bright
cold steel do actually find their way down the man’s gidlet, he
taking no other precaution than to oil the blade, which of course
is blunt. His throat has gradually been hardened by astringent
gargles, and in his early days has cost him m.any a sharp pain,
and restricted his food to spoon-diet, lly the time he has got
well used to swallowing steel, he is ready to do likewise with
snakes, which he holds by the tip of the tail and lets them
ci-awl down, while he dmws in his breath. As soon as he
breathes again they shrink back from the heat !
Another curious feat is to throw a cocoa-nut into the air and
catch it on the head, when the nut shivers to atoms instead of
breaking the head, as might be expected. Of course this is all
knack, just like breaking a poker across your arm, and has lieen
capped by an Englishman, who substitutes nodules of flint for
tlie cocoa-nuts, and produces the same result.
Among the most common, yet most striking proofs of sleight-
of-hand is the mango trick. The juggler, whose drajiery con-
sists of half a yard of cotton ; his theatre, your own verandah ;
his stock-in-traile, a mere handful of toys, proceeds to bury a
mango-stone in a little mud and covers it wdth a jar. A few
minutes later the jar is raised, and lo ! a tender green seed-leaf
has sprouted. 'When next we peep into that magic hot-bed, the
tiny leaf ha.s long since withered, and a flourishing young tree
has develojK-d with a rapidity the secret of which would lx; a
boon iiulet,>d to our patient foresters. Tlie same trick is shown
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with tlie ijlneapple plant, whose rijic fruit, presented to the
spectators, gives a chartuing Ihivour of reality to the deception.
There were, however, some of these tricks for which I looked
in vain. One, in partioil.ir, which I cannot refiain from quoting
from the wortls of an eyewitness, Tlie more so, a.s fnjiu the
unchanging nature of everything Hindu, I have little doubt
that the same feat is still frequently enacted.
" One of tlie party, a very handsome woman, fi.xed on her
head a fillet of strong texture, to wliich were fastened, at equal
distances, twenty jiieces of string of equal length, witli a com-
mon noose at the end of each. Under her arm she carried a
basket, in which wore carefully deposited twenty eggs. Her
lusket, the fillet, and the nooses were carefully examined by us.
There was evidently no deception.
“ The woman advanced alone, and stood before us. She then
began to move rapitlly round on one spot, whence she never for
one instant moved, sjiiuning round and round like a top.
“ A\Ticn her pace was at its height, she drew' down one of the
strings, which now Hew horizontally round her head and, st'cur-
ing an egg in the noose, she jerkt*d it back to its original ]"osition,
still twirling round wdth uiidiminished velocity, and repeating
the proce.ss until she had so ured the whole twenty eggs in the
nooses jireviously prepared for them. She projected them
rapidly from her hand the moment she had secured them, until
at length the whole twenty were Hying round her in an un-
broken circle. Thus she continued spinning at undiminished
sjieedfor fully five minutes; after which, taking the eggs one by
one from their ncxises, she replaced them in her basket ; and
then in one instant stopiied, with.out the movement of a limb,
or even the vibration of a muscle, as if she had been suddenly
transformeil into marble. Her countenance was iierfectly calm,
nor did she exhibit the slightest distress from her extraordinary
exertions.”
Another of the feats relalol by the same witness, though
much more frequently met with, is equally striking. He de-
scribes how a stout, ferocious-looking fellow stepped forward,
and made him examine a light wicker basket, which he then
jilaced over a pretty little girl aliout eight yearn old, utterly
guiltless of raiment. The ruffian then asked the child some
question, and the little voice answered from the ba-sket, Ques-
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
tion ami answer grew loud and rapid, till tlie man, in violent
]>as8i(in, tkveateued to kill the child, wlio vainly prayed for
mercy.
Ihere was a stem reality in the scene which was ten-ihle to
witness. The man set his foot on the frail basket, beneath which
cowered the terrified cliild, and seizing a sword plunged it into
the ba.sket again and again, with the blind ferocity of an e.vcited
dimon, his face frantic with rage. The shrieks of the chihl wereso
real and distracting that the sj>ectators stoml pale and paralyzed
with terror. Blood ran in streams Irom the luisket ; the child was
heard to struggle under it; her gioans gnulually sank to a faint
moan, fainter and fainter, then all was still. So %'ltdd was the
scene that the impulse of the spectators was to rush on the
monster and fell him to the earth, when, to their inexpre.s.sible
relief and astonishment, the juggler muttered a few cabalistic
wonls, took up his basket, and there e.xhibited — no mangled
coi-]>se — only a little blood-stained earth ; and the little child,
with a graceful salaam, advanceil from among the crowd to claim
a backsheesh, which was readily bestowed. What made the
dccc])tion more remarkable was that the man stood fpiite al(M»f
from the crowd, not a creature within several feet of him.
After this he took a largo earthen vessel with wide mouth,
filled it with water, and turned it upside down, when all the
water, of course, ran out. He then reversed the jar, which, we
j)CR'eived to be cpiite full, and all the earth around was i>erfectly
dry. He then emptied the jar, and handed it round for our
inspection. He bade one of us fill it to the brim ; after which
he upset it, but not a drop of water flowed ; nevertheless, to our
astonishment, it was quite empt3^ This trick was shown re-
jieatcdly, and at last he broke the jar to prove to us that it
really was nothing but the onlinary earthenware that it appearetl.
Next a large basket was jmaluced, and on lifting it a Pariah
ilog lay crouching on the gi’ouud. The basket cover was replaced,
and the second peep showed a litter of seven puppies with their
interesting mother. A goat, a pig, and other animals succes-
sively ap])cared from this magic receptacle, although, as before,
the exhibitor stood quite alone, and in full view of all spectators.
Tliough we had not the luck of coming in for any exhibitions
so striking as the.se, we, being novices, fouml a store of interest
in the curious beings wbo di<l find their whv to us. Snake-
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71
charmers came continually. They play on a sort of squeaking
bag-pipe, which is suppo.scd to have wondrous charms for all
manner of serpents, and it must be a deaf adder indeed which
will not come forth to listen to the voice of the charmer. There
have lieen undoubted instances in which really wild .snakes have
lieen thus attracted, probably those which had a fine ear for
music. We heard of one instance in which a young Englishman,
much addicted to playing the flute, had been compelled to give
up that harmless pursuit because his house was in a snaky
district, and his gentle mclodie.s attracted such a nndtitudc of
seqjcnts that even the natives objectcsl !
l>ut of course, as a general rule, those so triumphantly pro-
duced from the garden hedge have been very well trained by
their dancing master. It is a horrible thing, however, to see a
shrinking child adorned with .serpents of every size as bracelets
and anklets, with a great boa constrictor or a cobra curling about
at his feet or round his body, es{)ecially when we know for a
fiict that there have been instiinces in wliicli the poison fangs
have not Ijeen removed.
Mr. Forlxa mentions a dancing cobra, which lay on his table
for an hour while he jiainted it. He frequently handled it to
observe the beauty of the sjiots ami the marks on the hotxl
like a pair of spectacles, all the time fully believing that the
venomous fangs had been e.xtracted. A lew houi-s later the
»ime vicious reptile .sprang at a young woman, bit her in the
throat, and in half an hour she wiw dead. Nor are even the
most experienced snake-charmers always proof against accident«.
iilany horrible cases have occuiTed where a cobra has caused his
master’s death.
But the strange.st thing of all is to hear of a serpent causing
its own death, as in a case mentioned by Dr. Dearing, where a
snake haxdng been much irritated, turned sudduidy round, oixm-
mouthed, and caught its fang in its own flesh. Very soon after
it rolled over and died, poisoned by its own virus.
Bruce, the Abyssinian traveller, mentions having seen a snake-
charmer at Cairo plunge his hand into a tubful of serjients ; thence
take a cerastes (a most venomous snake), and, putting it on his bare
head, cover it with his red cap. After a while he put it in his
bo.som, then twined it round his neck like a necklace. Shortly
afteruards it sprang at a hen and bit it, and the bird died a
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lew moments later. In oriler to }>rove that tlie snake wa.s no
precious favourite, the man finally took it up hy the neck, aiul
lieginning at the tail, ate it up, as you would eat a piece ot
of celery, w ilhout the smallest repui;nance !
I have myself seen a nd'ractory .snake give his keeper a
bite so severe ns to cause him very great pain. However the
wound bled freely, and after the man had sucked out as much of
tlie venom as he could, he protUiced something of the shape and
colour of a bean, very hanl and polished. This he laid on the
sore finger. It seemed to draw out the venom, and then fall olf
of itself. He called it snake-stone, and said it was maile of
stag’s horn. So you see we are not the. only jieople who know
that hartshorn, or ammonia in some form, is a cure for such
venomous bites.
Everyone travelling in the east shoiibl have spirit® of ammonia
in his medicine-chest, or still better, eau de luce, which is a pre-
jiaration of hartshorn, oil of amber, and spiiits of wine, as the
servants’ bare feet are terribly li.ible to be found out by snakes
and scorjnons ; and although in ca-scs of a severe bite the only
safety lies in ijtstairt/y burning or cutting out the portion of flesh
bitten (having previously stayed the flow of blocnl by the tightest
possible ligatun;, for which purpose a supply of whipconl sliould
lie kejit ready liesides the ammonia), it is always well at once to
administer stimulants freely, the liest being half a teasjioonfnl of
eau de luce, or forty drops of strong spirits of ammonia, in a little
water; a dose which should be repeated frequently till the pain
gradually pa.sses down the suffering limb, and seems to lie
ilrawn out at the finger-tips or toes.
This is pireciscly the result produced by applying the snake-
stone, or horn. A piece of this was analyzed by Profe.ssor
I'araday, who lielieved it to lie “ a piece of charred bone, which
had been filled with blood .several times, and then carefully
charred again. It consisted almost entirely of phosphate of lime,
and if broken, showeil an organic structure with cells and tubes.”
I have been told of various cases of very severe bites, even
those of the cobra, in which immediate application of this
snake-stone has efl’ected a cure. The natives also have a kind
of wood, which they call the root of the snake jilant. They
wave it close al>ovc the reptile, which seems to shrink down,
coweiL This plant is the Aristolochia, w iiich is much used in
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78
tlic West Indies as aii antidote to the bite of serpents. It is
Siiid also to be fatal to all manner of snakes, and serpent -
charmers stupefy their playthings with its juice. The difliculty
must be to insert it into their months. It is like the simple
<i}>emtion of removing the jxilson sacs, wliich is easily per-
tornied “ by making an incision Is;neaih and behind each eye.”
I’ut the question to ordinary mortals would be how to set about
it! Certainlythe.se snake- clmrmevs are a race by themselves.
Their power is undoubtedly hciedilary; and there can be no
doubt that, like the Psylli of ancient Pgypt, they have some
mysterious influence over the most deadly and venomous foes of
our species. There are most clearly pioved instances in which
enraged snakes have first l«?en lulled by the music of these men ;
then allowed themselves to bo played with ; have slirank back
in dismay if they were spat at; have lain for day.s cm led up in
their charmer’s turban ; and then perhap'S, broken loose, to try
tlieir fatal fangs on some less maslerlul sjiiiit.
It is siiid that in some ca.ses the snake-charmers have anointed
their whole body with some decoction of herbs, hateful to the
ser|)ent, so that the very smell of their skin is repeliant to them ;
and that men, not pretending to be professional, who had been
thus prepared for action, have been seen tlclilteralely taking up
snakes and handling them, witliout receiving injury.
This herb is said to be the vumosa octundra ; but whatever it
may really Ikj, its value, both as a cure and a preventive, is said
to lie well known to the little Mungoose or Ichneumon, a plucky
little animal re.sembling a large rat, which does not scruple to
attack even large hooded snakes. \\ henever in its battles with
serjients it receives a wound, it at'once retreats, goes in .se<irch
of the antidote, and, having found and devoured it, returns to
the charge, and generally carries the day, seeming none the
worse for its bite. Disbelievers in this charmed plant maintain
tliat the true secret of the mungoose surviving his battles lies
in the fact that tlie serpent gives many a bite without injecting
venom, and that although the wounds inflicted may bleed freely,
they are not poisoned. E.xpeiinients have lx;en made to prove
tliis, and the bites at first inflicted on the mungoose were proved
to be mere scratches ; but after a while, the cobra being pro-
voketl to inflict a really vicious bite, the poor little victim died
within a few minutes. Tlie experiments, however, seem to have
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71 FROM THE HEBRIDES
l)cen incomplete, ns the captive inungoose had, of com-se, no
chance of seeking liis antidote.
Many medical authorities assert that, when once the venom
h:is been thoroughly and intentionally injected, its career through
tlie whole system is so rapid that no antidote can he of much
avail Xcs'erthelcss, I have been assured by one, through whose
hands hundreds of cases of snake-bite had passe<l, that he
scarcely knew of one instance in which the spirits of ammonia
had failed to work a complete cure, though the bites were often
of the woret possible character.
You can fancy how much this element of possible danger adds
to the fascination which the snake-charmers with their baskets
of dread playthings always possess. The reptiles are, in truth,
so beautiful, with their varied colouring, some grey, some
brown, some yellow, some beaulifully marked witli hands of
black and gold, and divers i)atterns ; all gliding so silently in
the sunlight, now raising their heads to watch with glittering
eye the movements of their imister, or, with sudden dart, spring-
ing at some unwary fly, as you might fancy their springing at
and striking some nobler foe.
As concerns the out-of-door varieties of so-called amusements
in the various stations, they struck me, as an outsider, as being
more woefully dull than any pha.se of sad pleasure I ever wit-
nes.sed in the mother country. The man who said that life
would be endurable hut for its amusements must certainly have
had a good spell of India Tlie daily drive along the ^lall, and
the bi-weekly halt around the hand-stand, when all the people
sit stiU in their carriages without an attempt at amalgamating,
looking unutterably bored ; or the archeiy meetings, when each
carriage-load marches with business-like jTCcision direct to the
spot a.ssigned to it, never to move thence till the game is over ;
and, worst of all, the deadly-dull race.s, at which no one seems
to get up any enthusiasm, except in the rare instance where
the ritler is so popular person.ally as to compel some interest.
The chief excitement always seemed to be among the native
s])CCtatoi‘s, who dearly love anything in the shape of horae-
racing. These certainly are a curious race. So strange a mix-
ture of childishness and cunning, delighted by the simplest
)ilea.sures, children with children, unwearied in their devotion
to the delicate, white-faced little ones whom the climate renders
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75
so tenilily fractious; great solemn men walking up ami down
for lioui-s with unrufHed patience, trying to soothe shrieking
liahie.s, and probably getting a good dose of the same soil at
night in their own bttle hovels — hovels, by the way, from which
1 doubt whetlier any Eurojrean could come in such spotless
white robes.
As attendants they are wonderfully good. Quick, noiseless,
detecting in a moment what is wanted, patient and “ answering
not again” to an extent that might sometimes shame their
masters, who certainly have no more claim to faultlessnesa than
“the niggers” of whom they think so lightly; for to see an
Englishman fly into a passion with a native, and strike a man
who dares not hit him back, is humiliating indeed. If not
cowardly, it certainly is horribly derogatory to British dignity,
and quite the most painful sight you are likely to witne.ss.
Happily the present state of the law enables tlie aggrieved
servant to summon his master before a magistrate, when a
tolerably heavy fine may be exacted. On the other hand, the
master will then probably refuse to give the man a chit, or note
of character, without which he may wait long enough for a
re-engagement
lliese chits, however, are often of little value, as they may
have l>een just forged in the bazaar by some unprincipled
lahoo} or, if genuine, may have lieen given to some very dif-
ferent man by a master either dead, or retumed to England. I
used to wonder at the way in which servants would come to me
in any house where I might be staying for a few days to ask for
such chits (which of course I could not give), till I discovered
tliat they were saleable, which cleared up the mystery. A
native will do anything for pice ; he ev'en seems to con.sider a
timely backsheesh abundant compensation for any amount of
abuse or even maltreatment — like the old se.xtou who used to
rejoice in his vicar’s petulance, for to provoke him into saying
“ D 1 take you !” was worth a shilling any day, whereas so
mild an expletive ns “the deuce!” was a shabby sixpenny
8i>eech, oidy fit for a cuiatc I
The most curious thing to see, in the way of compensation, is
on the occasion of any accident which has pmved fatal to life
or limb, liow readily tlie mourning relatives are solaced by such
' (.'lorlc.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
a h;ickslic<?sh as sliall siij j ’.y a funeral feast ; a gift of fifty
nif>e-e3 to the widow and children see-ms pisitively to turn
sorrow into joy. Economical ma'ters avail themselves laigely
of the habit of fining their servants on every occasion, and for
every breakage or every misdeed you hear “ 1 cut you a ru{iee,”
or “I cut you eight annas” — fines whii.h, if always exacted,
would leave little due to the luckless servant, whose wages are
at all times small, and are invariably kept a month or two in
aiTcar, as otherwise the master has no hold to prevent a man
fn>m going ofl' suddenly at the moment when he is most ncevled.
I do not know whether the habit of distrusting native ser-
vants may not of its»-lf niitke them dishonest. Some masters
feiy so, and certainly he is a very exceptional man who w ill be
Itetter than his character. But certainly, as a nde, the amount
of cheatery that goes on is desperately annoying, The most
curious thing is the comixisure with which it is done A native
is not in the least ashamed of l>eing found out in the most
flagrant lie or dishonesty. A Euroi)ean master and servant
under such circumstances would feel a mutual distrust and
disgust that would piroliably result in immediate separation.
With these curious beings this is not at all the case. It seems
ns if the masters l>ecame more amiable towanls the poor fellows
w hose little game they have foiled, while the miscreants them-
selves have quite a feehng of reverence to the superior intellect
tlmt saw through them ; so that for a few days after a little
scene of this sort dome.stic life seems extra smooth and pleasant
I rememljer one day in jiarticular, when the culprit was a
very superior baboo — a sort of private secretary to liis master.
He talked perfect English, and had for days l«en marching
with us, and discussing every subject, terrestrial and celes-
tial ; pointing out the meaning of his name, which was “ Born in
the light of G(k 1,” and otherwise edifying us. When he, in the
pre.sence of us all, was proved to have invented a tissue of lies
to throw some slight blame on another man, why, we com-
miserated the poor crushed worm, and thought he would bo
overwhclnit-d with shame, especially as his master lost no
opportunity of playfully chaffing him on his discomfiture ; but
he seemed to take it as a matter of course, and conqiorted
him.self with his usual dignified grace
One unpleasant j>oint in the Hindu servants is their readi-
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Dess to Lrawl among themselves. Of conr.se I do not mean
tiiat they would so fur forget them.selves and their abject sub-
mission to their master as to quarrel in his bungalow, but once
seated on their own flat roofs, the most trivial di.spute generally
ends in a noisy quarrel, in which there is no limit to the execra-
tions heaped ou one another, more especially on their feminine
relations to the thin! and fourth generations. Then the women’s
voices chime in, loud and shrill (painfully disconlant when thus
high-pitchwl), and aid the general din with scolding and .shrieks.
They are as prodigal of choice expletives as the men, and it is
said that no race on the face of the earth has so large a vocabu-
lary of oaths as the Hindu. Their swords are bitter words,
but as a general rule no other weapon of offence comes into
play. Such cases of sbibbing as we hear of in England are
unknown, aud a good honest trial of fisticuffs equally so. The
loudest, angriest tones randy result in a blow ; generally each
man stands on his own roof and tlirows handsful of harmless
dust at his neighbour, or, if they (ire in clo.ser quarters, the
knocking off of a turban, or a blow from a slipper creates a con-
fusion perfectly appalling. -
These quarrels often result in an action at law, when the
patient magistrate has to sit in broiling kutchery} weighing
evidence, and striving to get at the riglits of some question
involving lucre to the value of twopence farthing. And the
difficulty of separating true evidence from false must in itself
be oppressive, for fal.sehooil and equivocation seem to come so
naturally to native lif'S that those who know their character
best avoid ever asking a direct question.
This amiable iieculiarity of our Aryan brother leads to most
extraordinary cases of perjury in our courts of law. I have
heaid one instance after another when an acute magistrate has
unravelled the most complicated cases, in which all the wit-
nesses had apparently rehearsed the trial beforehand to ensure
success in acting their false parts ; and jierhaps all this would
be for a matter of a few rupees. Certainly the old motto,
“ Straight Forward makes the best lunner,” is by no means
appreciated here ; and a life without artifice and all above
board, would seem to have small attraction for the average
Hindu, whatever bright exceptions we may find.
' Till! court.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
Among the milder terms of reproach which you will fre-
quently hear, such qualities as we describe by “ owlish ” and
“ chicken-hearted ” are almost literally rendered “ ooloo In
luteka,” or “ moorghie ka btUcha,'’ meaning “ child of an owl,”
or “of a fowl.” Why the Grecian emblem of wi.sdom should in
these later days bear so different a character in both the eastern
and western world, I know not. “ Toom gudha" “ you donkey,”
is another playful obser\'ation common to both. After seeing
the high honour with which this most willing and energetic
animal is treated in Egypt, it is curious to land in India and
find that its touch is defdement, and that none but the lowest
castes will have anything to do with it.
We had a curious proof of this when it was proposed that the
children should have a donkey instead of being carried by men.
The servants came in a body to my sister to represent the
horrors of the case. Surely she could not be in earnest in
wishing to subject tlie childreu to such an indignity ; but if
indeed it were so, they must with one voice protest that not one
of them would touch it. So great was the e.xcitement, that ns
she passed through the public bazaar strangers came up to her
in the most respectful manner to e.xpress their hope that the
mem-sahib would not think of such a thing, for indeed Charlie-
sahib was worthy of more honour — surely he might have a
pony. Charlie-sahib, however, resolutely refused to ride his
pony, so a goat carriage was substituted, to the satisfaction of
all concerned, whence you may infer that the Indian goat is not
afflicted with the fragrance of his British brother, whom indeed
he in no way resemble.s, being a smooth, short-haired creature
with short horns, with none of the beauty of our silky-haired,
long-horned old Billy-goat.
The Hindu abhorrence of the luckless donkey is so great
that the very acme of revenge would be to slay an a.ss on tlic
threshold of a foe, whereby the hou.se would be for ever defiled.
In such a case, all the inmates must for ever quit their home
before tlie blood Itns had time to cool, else their caste would be
destroyed, and the usual disgusting ceremeuies required for its
restoration, the chief of which consists in tasting each varied
product of the sacred cow.
It is certainly wonderful to .see the extent to which this
veneration for cattle triumphs over the usual habits of exceed-
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 79
ing cleanliness. It is startling at first to see a stately woman,
bearing her water-jug on her head, kneel (not daring to bend
her neck), and with her pretty, well-formed hands giither up
fresh material for fuel, which she will carry home triumphantly,
and thereof make cakes, v/hich she will plaster over the walls
of her house to diy in the sun. This you may see in some parts
of Cornwall and the Orkneys, where fuel is scarce, there being
no firewood; and coal, and peat even, being lu.vuries too ex-
pensive for the very poor ; then the sweepings of the byre
become so precious as fuel that the land is obliged to accept
sea-ware as a substitute for ordinary manure.
StiU more strange is it, on one great festival in the month of
March, to see thousands of women and children, gaily dressed
in bright-coloured jackets and brilliant blue or crimson silk
piyamas,' while the common muslin shroud is replaced by a gi-eat
veil of the finest tissue, sometimes wrought in gold ; and every
woman and child in that vast procession carries in their hands one
of these objectionable fuel-cakes, to be offered at some idol shrine.
One festival, which occupies several days in February, is known
as the Holy, and is kept in honour of the awakening of nature
from her winter .sleep ; and as the earth is sown broadcast with
flowers of many colours, a sort of Carnival is kept, wherein all
manner of practical jokes are played, and blue and red and
yellow powder is thrown by every man over his neighbour. The
effect of this on the white linen robes is by no means cleanly ;
and this moreover is one of the few occa.sions on which fer-
mented liquors are indulged in, when they invariably get the
upper hand.
The Hindu and Mohammedan festivals are generally quite
sej)arate concerns, though some days are equally ob.served by
both. One peculiar to the latter is that of “ Biickrah Fade” or
Goat Festival, observed in memory of Abraham having offered
up his son — not Isaac on Mount Moriah, but Ishmael on Jlount
Ararat, and it is fr >in Ishmael they trace their descent. Many
prayers are devoutly offered, and either a goat or a camel is
slain and its liver fried, small portions thereof being eaten with
bread as a sort of sacramental remembrance of that sacrifice.
The favourite drive in Meerut is round a very large artificial
tank, vulgarly called " the Monkey Tank,” by reason of the
' Tight trousota.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
sacred apes and monkeys wliicli come for their daily food to the
temples by the waterside. The native name is more poetical :
they call it Sooray Koond (the Mirror of the Sun), and it is
held alike sacred by heathen and Mohammedan.
You may see the latter drive up at sunset in his smart.
•' bugfQT,” whence his servant will take a brilliant carpet and
spread it near the tank, and the stately worshipper will thereon
kneel and woiship towards Mecca, little heeding thi! ))oor
Hindu who kneels at tlie shrine close by, making pnoja^ so
fervently, and presenting his humble ofi'ering of cakes and
flowers, themby trusting to avert the wrath of the dread
Goddess of Small I’ox, whose ruthless hand threatens to leave
his home desolate.
Some of the most picturesque festivals are licld at this spot,
where thousiinds assemble under the dark trees, on foot or in
every variety of native carriage. The aristocrats are mounted
on elephants, with rich trapijings of velvet embroidered with
gold and silver. Here ami there are rai.sed platforms, where
nautch girls, in brilliant drc.sses and glittering Jewels, dance and
sing ; and as the hours pa.ss Ity uiiheetled, thousands of torches
light up the scene, dancers whirl round with enormous fans of
peacocks’ feathers and banners, while blue-lights in the back-
ground throw a wild glare over wood and water, temples and
l)eople. These gatherings genenilly unite business with plea-
sure, and long rows of bootiis for the sale of every species of
thing, and the laughing group.s of lads and lassies choosing their
“fairings,” were the only reminder of Britain in the strange
scene.
Of course all the children are laden with grotesque toys, but
even these cannot raise more than a passing smile on those
grave little faces. There is something in the subdued mirth of
eastern children which is singularly oppressive. You never hear
a clear, ringing laugh, or see an honest, hearty, romping game,
such as our little ones love. They are all grave and silent.
Curious small brown creatures, m long dresses of brilliant
llowery calico, with gold-embroidered silk skull-caps, and long
silk shawls, the small girls in tiny, tight trousera and veils, like
diminutive women. I-ong ago, Charles Lamb, speaking of the
childreu of the pooi-, described them as being adults from their
* Wor^liiic
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. M
cnwlle — little oKl men ami women in nil tlie care.s ami an.\ieties
of life. So it is with the grave children of India, There are
uol)le faces amongst these people. Clear-cut features and large
eye.s — soft, speaking eyes — and clear olive or coj>per comple.xion,
with the finest, glossiest black hair. The amount of hair they
may retain dejiends upon their caste ; some submit to a com-
plete tonsure.
Meerut has little to show in the way of architectural l>eauty.
One very large tomb, known as the Tomb of Alioo, is the only
striking thing, and though it lies oidy a hundred yards ofl’ the
daily drl%-e, few of the oldest inhabitants know of its existence ;
still fewer take the trouble to go and look at it.
It consists of a great raised platform of fine red samUtone, in
the centre of which lie white marble tomlis. Above tliem, many
clusters of tall red sandstone pillais and arches suj){>ort a group
of domes, of various sizes, all inlaid with bright green and blue
encaustic tiles. Smaller pilhu-s and domes stand at the corners
of the platform, and others are raised in the neighbourhood over
humbler members of the same family.
This was the only place wdiere I found drawing was really a
matter of difficulty, owing to the crowd of iiKpiisitive natives, of
whom fully a hundred gave me the benefit of their society for
the whole day. As usual they were i^erfectly civil and obliging,
except in utterly refusing to go away. All Hindus delight in
pictures, and like to stand by the hour watching the progress of
any painting, their remarks thereon being always intelligent
and to the point, which is more than can Ije said for those of a
good many pale-faced art critics.
Xo Mohammedan ought to look at anything so wicked, ns he
is commanded by the Koran to abhor all likene.ss of everything
in heaven or on earth. Nevertheless, I susjxict that my pupils
often included the followers of the Prophet, who had no objec-
tion to mij infringing the law’, provided thnj were sinless. It
seems that Mohammed has declared that at tlie Day of Judgment
all pictures and graven images will be set l>efore the makers
thereof, and they will be commanded to breathe life into them,
failing which the unfortunate artists and sculptors will be cast
into hell for a season !
I fancy the native interest in watching the sketching is very
much due to its rarity. They invariably told me that though
vou II, a
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82 FROM THE HEBRIDES
they often see. the Siihih.s making ])liotograplis, handwork is
(juite a novelty. iJoubtless akso it is startling to the Eastern
mind, to see a high- caste white woman sit with unveiled face,
<iuietly pursuing her avocations in presence of all comers. Our
habits, however, are a riddle which they never hope to solve.
I think the native mind was considerably iinpre.ssed by my
invariably sitting Hindu-wise on a large waterproof with
gorgeous lining, so much resembling the Mohammedan prayer-
carpet, that they doubtless considered the whole proceeding to
be some new form of making pooju (t.e. worship) !
I was much amused at the way in which my guardian spirit
made the best of the crowd which he could not disperse. He
awarded reserved seats in tlie diess circle to those whose drapery
entitled them to such honour. Those whose whole raiment con-
sisted of a string and a coin were ignominiously e.xpelled ; but
the smallest strip of linen was considered quite respectable.
Cerhiinly it is curious how rarely this native “ undress uniform ”
strikes any Englishwoman ns being indelicate; for the beautiful
silky brown colour of these living bronzes, and the total un-
consciousness of any lack of raiment, prevents any impression
of the sort.
AVhen luncheon time arrived, a happy idea struck them, and
they asked my attendant whether my sandwiches were made of
beef, which he assured them was the ca.se; whereupon they all
retired to a di.screet distance, lest any chance crumbs should be
blown towards them, and they should thereby be polluted.
This curious ])hase of reverence is one of the many wholly
unauthorized modern additions to the early faith of Brahma.
The ancient Sanskrit books make frequent allusions to feasts of
beef and ale, when solemn sacrifices of oxen were offered to
divers gods, each of whom had a well-known weakness for some
special colour or sex. One coveted the sacrifice of a bull, the
next of a heifer. Some preferred red, some grey, some black,
and others piebald. When duly offered, the animal was divided
into thirty-six portions; the priest, of course, reserving the
daintiest parts for the god. The flesh, roasted with ghee, was
then feasted on, and washed down w'ith jovial draughts of
ale and soma-juice. It is supposed that these comfortable
sacrifices were only forbidden in order to counterbalance
Buddhist teaching of tenderness for animal life ; a reason
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. S3
whicli, however, would eciually apply to the sacrifice of goats
and buffaloes, which still continues. But of the actual beef-
eating festivals, there is no doubt, as has been recently pointed
out to the astonished Brahmins by an intelligent Hindu who
has given several lectures in Calcutta on the subject of the
beef and ale of old India, to lean rice-fed hearers, who consider
the sacrifice of a bullock, or the touch of beef, as sacrilege and
tlefilement unutterable.
The only otlier place of any interest in the neighbourhood of
Jleerut is the Roman Catholic Cathedral at Sirdhana, containing
marble grou|)S by Adamo Tremolo, which you certainly would
not expect to come upon after sixteen miles drive into this
(so-called) jungle. Tlie cathedral was built and endowed by the
Begum Sombre, who began life as a Nautch girl ; and, having
succeeded in captivating the Nawaub, induced her own husband
to perform the “happy despatch,” after the Hindu manner.
She was erjually successful in disposing of female rivals, and
having been duly established Queen of the Harem, she, at the
»leath of the Nawaub, succeeded to supreme power, and like our
martini Queen Bess, commanded her own troops, and rode at
their head.
She was a tiny woman, but wonderfully clever. Foreseeing
that the English would be l)ctter friends than foes, she became
our most staunch ally ; and, having embraced the Christian faith,
and compelled a number of her subjects to do likewise, .she built
this large cathedral, and endowed it so handsomely, that about
.'too native Christians continue faithful to it, and have the
privilege of eating all manner of meats, which they consider to
l>e the distinguishing feature of our faith. It is said that she
also contributed handsomely to the I’rotestant Church at ileerut,
which accounts for its being somewhat less shabby than our
churches at most other stations.
The Begum showed great kindness to a son of the Nawaub,
by name Dyce Sombre, formerly well known in England. Being
greatly attached to his stepmother, he paid large sums to the
Church of Rome to procure her canonization, which honour was
accordingly conferred upon her. The ceremony on that occasion
was described to us by a lady who was living in Rome at the
time, and on whom, knowing the Begum’s history, it had made a
vivid impression. Dyce Sombre also caused the Italian sculptor,
G 2
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i)4
FROM THE HEBRIDES
above imtned, to execute a very elalxirate nionuuient to Iht
memory, in which his own ungainly statue in full uniform con-
trasts strangely with beautiful Italian groups of veiled figures,
weeping round the statue of the little Hegum ; an anomaly which
the aggrieved sculptor seems to have revenged by perpetrating
sundiy little jokes in marble, at the expense of lioman ecclesi-
astics and British officers.*
Onr stay at Meerut was happily curbiiled by a sudden order
that the cavalry should march to Uinballa, to grace the state
reception of the Ameer of Affghanistan. For the first few days
their march lay along the line of railway, and the daily “play ”
of all disconsolate wives was to make amusing expeditions to
the camp and see the marx'ellous rapidity with which the direst
confusion gave place to most perfect order; more especially in
the great mess-tent, where snowy linen, and plate aiul glass, and
an elalx)rate bill of fare, would scarcely allow you to rememlHjr
that the good “ Brownies ” who had produced it all had just
' Doubtless there were many wa"s among the ohl monks who eonUl not resist
the temptation of a little gentle satire at the expense of their holy ImUhren, but
who, of eo'urse, darej only to give the rein to their imaginations in places in
which their Immliwork would Imi hidden fmm the devout vulgar. Thus in various
old eharelics of the twelfth century, such as SL Mary's ami the beautiful niinstir
at Beverley, we have only to turn up the seats of the stalls to find a series of
allegorical can-ings that might illustrate a volume of ^Bsop's fables. Some of
these (probably too plain in their suggestions) have lieen altogether removed, but
there remain such subjects ns the clerical fox pn>aching to his congregation of
attentive geese, while a monkey, acting clerk, looks over his shoulder. Then
comes the detection of the fox, which is solemnly hangisl by the geese, and his
liody reraovisl by the monkey. Next we find a couple of episco]«l foxes, crosier
in hand, lai'li carrying a fat goose in his wallet. Monkeys innumerable ap|X'ar in
cudle.ss gnm|>s, devising schemes of misi'bief. S.age old cats are aeen gravely
playing the fiddle, and giving dancing lessons to the mice and rats. Be.->r-liaiting
has a prominent place., and is again and again introdiiixsl. Fat hogs also apjs-ar
in various characters ; while, of the puivly human subjei ts, we find gluttons and
misers alike watched over by him of the cloven foot, with an air of well-assured
projirirtorsliijr. If jx-rehance you have never yet noticed these curious 8|s-eimcus
of monkish art, I commend them to your sjavial interest. Yon will find them
carved on the under siile of the s<iat in the stalls of many of our catherlrals and
churches, as, for instance, in St. (leorge's, Windsor, and in beautiful old Norwich
Cathedral, where, by the way, every boss of the grand roof is a separate study of
curious design.
Not so marked, however, as some of the derisive sculptures in out-of-the-way
corners of our own cathedrals, as, for iiistaiiee, in the Cathedral Church in Man-
chester, where, on the under siile of the sedilia, you may see the .Saeraments of
Marriage and Kxtreme I'nction lieing conferred on lay asses by ecclesiastical l>igs,
aiid sundry other devices of aimihir cliarai-ter.
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. f'.
come off a weary march, and that their oooking-r.inj'e con.si.sted
■f a row of stones and mud ovens in the o[KIi air. Weather
never discomjx>se<l tlieir etjuanimity, and in drt;ncliinj{ ruin
tven thiii" was as well served as in the sun.shine ; a prooeed-
mo which would puzzle Europeiin rhc/s and footmen, more
especially if clad in white linen drapery anil turbans.
Tliere* were, jvist at this time, a ttood man}' days of soaking
rain with heavv tliuuderstorni.s, wliich must have made a camp
life unuttenrhly distrusting; hut it was considered greatly to tlie
alvantage of the troops, as tending to cool the atmospliere ; and
thou‘»h there were some delays, to allow the heavy wet canvas
t> drv liefore tire camels could resume their loads, tliere is little
doubt that to tins cause they were greatly indebted for so clean
a bill of liealtla at Uiuballa.
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CHAPTER IV.
FItOM THE PLAINS TO THE HILLS.
The journey from Meerut to Uiiibiilla, wliich cost the cavalry
anil artillery ten days under canvas, and ten morninrr marches
before sunrise, was accomplished by the rest of the world in an
afternoon by rail. The line was still so new as to be liable to
cjnsiderable irregularity. On the present occasion we waited
thi-ee hours before our train appeared. Happily, being a cheery
set, we cared little ; and the rad way officials had the more time
to master the intricacies of our baggage. I listened with much
amusement to my sister’s e-vplanations : “ You see I have tickets
for four horses and two dogs. Two of the horses are cows, and
one of the dogs is a goat, and the other is a cat ! ” I bethought
me of Punch’s picture of an old latly whose menagerie luul lieen
thus classified — all, save her pet tortoise, which, “ being an
insect,” did not require a ticket. She looked as much disgusted
as did one of my frienils on being told that her lovely green
frogs and pet salamander were " vermin ! ’
Late in the afternoon we passed .Seharanpore, where we had
already spent some pleasant days. It is one of the headquarters
of tlie Government Stud 1 fepaitmeut, which has immense stables
liere ; whence, at the periodical sales of airt-horses, wide-awake
individuals recruit their private stables greatly t<i their own
advantage. Seharanpore is famed for its ganlens, wlience all
India is supplied witli plants and seeds. Here an old well, of
tlie sort called Persian Wheel, struck me as e.xtremely pictur-
esque. Tlie water is drawn from an immense depth by an
endless chain of great red earthen jars, fiistened between two
ropes, and passing o%'er a wheel, which is in connection with
another wheel, turned by bullocks, and driven by bmwn crea-
tures in white turbans, the whole ovcrshailowed by line old trees.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES, ETC. 87
One of tlie roj)e3, beiiij' new, was ailorned with a hu^e buucli of
flowers as a votive oft'erini' to the Spirit of the Well.
Before ns stretehed a wide hill-range, bounding the inter-
vening plain. It did not seem to us very grand; very much
like the Ochils from some points near Stirling. Only we knew
that the.se were indeeil the low spurs of that mighty range we
had come so far to see, and that those little j>atches aiul |ieaks
of glittering white were our first glimpse of the eternal snows of
the Himalayas. * One mountain in jmrticular, the Chor, we
were afterwanls taught to look up to with reverence, but I
cannot .sej' that was our first impulse.
It was late and dark when we leached Umhalla. Our luggage-
ticket was mislaid in the confusion, and there was no end of
tantalizing trouble, and going to and fro, before we were alloweil
to rescue one atom of our projairty, which lay piled before our
eyes. We forcibly carried off one box of nursery goixls, and the
authorities, after wearisome delay.s, allowed the rest to follow us.
Tired and hungry, we at la.st found ourselves safe in a large
emjity bungalow, of which a friend had kindly allowed us the
use. Tlie house was literally empty, so we had commissioned a
furniture agent to su[>ply .such things as were actually nece.s.sar\’.
The sudden influ.x of strangers made all such supplies meagre in
the extreme; and you can imagine nothing more dreary than a
lai^e, empty Indian bungalow, where the uncarpeted lloors and
bare whitewashed walls make every voice and footstep resound ;
every’ room acting as a passage to its neighbours, and no curtains
to veil the ill-fitting doors.
However, when morning returned, with its flood of warm
sunshine, m’o no longer thought it dreary, but turning jdaids
into table-cloths, and filling every native bowl and hubble-lmbble
vase, on which we could lay hands, with loads of roses and jessa-
mine, we siKui made our quarters cosy’ enough. A fterwards, when
we saw how every nook an<l cranny of the town was crowded
with strangers, we felt thankful indeed for our large cool rooms
and shady ganlen, where orange and {Kunegranate-shrubs (those
" bu.sy plants,” as old George Herbert calls them) mingled their
white or scarlet blossoms with their own ripening fruit, and
where, more beautiful than all, the tall beauhinia or camel’s foot
’ llimnlnya, “ the abode of perpetual snow ’’—from the Sanskrit Almn, “snow,”
and alaya, “an abode." Himmamt means the “snow-covered.”
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8 *
FROM THE HEBRIDES
(so ciilled IVoiu the shape of its leaf) showei'etl down exipiisite
blossoms like lai’ge white Geraniums, with lilac markings.
Here we often lingereil in the cfwl evening watching the
vivid sheets of lightning, while crashing peals of thunder made
the night solemn, and harmonized the various camp sounds on
every side, bands playing, bugles calling, voices of men and of
c imels. One native regiment qumtered near us seemetl to !«
for ever marching to the sound of a very musical little Fi-ench
horn. In short, we soon made aural acnuaintance with our
many neighbours.
On one side sti-etched the great Maidan, a fine, wide plain,
alfording sco]>e for all manner of military evolution.s. The tiwqis
were camped all round tlie edge of this jdain ; and the msiss of
« hite canvas cutting against the backgnmnd of dark foliage, the
Ilimalayus lying blue in the ilistsmce, and the brilliant fore-
ground of native figures goi-geously attired, combined to make a
very fine picture. At the farther eiul of the great jdain lay the
Oovernor-Oenend’scamp, a white city of tents, all ready for his
reception ; anil a little farther was that of the t,'ommauder-in-
Chief, both overshadowed by the Union Jack.
JSucli a jilain would on most occasions have been veileil by its
own dust, stirred up by the ever-moving crowds and galloping
tro<i])S. Fortunately, however, the nights of lieavy rain, which
conduced so much to the discomfort of tiiose under canvas,
proved not merely a safeguartl of health, but a great addition to
the enjoyment of the days.
Hesides, we were indebted to those kindly showers for a
glimjise, often rejieated, of a genuine, unmistakable mirage.
For the sun’s hot rays drew from the moist emth a tremulous
haze of misty dew, which hung (piivering over tlie plain; and
the dark, di.stant trees and white tents not only seemed raiseil,
so as to tloat above the mist, but their inverted images lay
clearly reliected thereon, as on the bosom of some quiet lake.
\\'e hud arrived on a Saturday, and our Aflglian iillies were
not e.xpected till Wedne.sday, nor was Uml Mayo to aiTive from
Calcutta till the following Satunlay; so we had time enough to
e.xplore the neighbourhood, and to admire all the magnificent
natives and their gorgeous suites. Sixteen “burm” Kajahs, very
great men, had as.semhled, liesides innumerable le.sser potentates,
each bringing his military escort ; his elephants with magnificent
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TO THE HIMALAYAS fi»
liowdiilis ; liis camels ami •'or^eously caparisoned horses, covered
with a network of silk and jewels, in addition to their jewelled
trapjongs and long sweeping yak’s tails. Some of the horses
were partly dyed pink, others stained russet with henna. But
a good deal of this splendour wiis reserved for the show days,
and it must be confessed that many of these great men cut but
a poor figure on first arriving, as most of them chose to drive
into Umballa in their English carriage.s, which as a rule were of
the shabbiest. Their followers, too, were, naturally enough,
tnivel-stained and weary, and trudged along, in anjlhing but
onlerly style, to the intense dismay of our seiA'ants who had
striven hard to impress upon us the overjMwering magnificence
that was to dazzle our bewildered sight. These men have a
goo<l deal of the old Highland juide in the greatne.ss of their
chiefs, and never lo.se a chance of e.xtolling their wealth, pro-
bably with very good cause, yet I could not help sometimes
l>eing reminded of that Irish recruit who burat into teais as he
sailed past (Jreenwich Hospital, l>ecause, he said, it reminded
him t(X) vividly of his falher’a stables !
The greatest man of all was the Uajah of I’utialah, whose camp
was said fur to outshine that of the Governor-General. The
whole place seemed to swarm with his retainers. He brought
so many regiments that they amounted to a small army. The
e.xcellence of his artillery coii« drew forth much praise, while
their band ])layed “ Begone dull ciire,” “ Cherry Itipe,” “ The
BailiH's daughter of Islington,” and many such jxipular airs ad-
mirably. His elephants were apparently without numlH;r, and
the magnificence of their trai»i>inga suggestive of the old Arabian
nights. Some had howdahs of silver ; others of silver inlaid
with gold. One huge elephant was accompanied by a very small
one, bearing a great ladder of solid silver, whereby his master
might climb down fi-om his tall perch. Sometimes his rider
prefers a gallop on horaebaek ; then the stately old elejihant will
kneel, and salaam with his trunk, remaining immovable during
his master’s descent, which is by no means the graceful action
of “vaulting from the .saddle,” then rising, he .sahwms again,
and marches on with majestic solemnity.
Some of the howdahs are curtained with crimson velvet richly
wrought with gold— and the elephant himself is literally covered
with housings of crim.son and gold — while his wise old face is
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
piiinted with lines, stars, stri[)es, and curling patterns in brilliant
l ulours, more elaborate tlian tlie caste-marks of Ids master. His
f^reat Ha])i>ino ears, too, are pierced like a woman’s, and adorned
with jewels. His hu"e ankles are circled by lieavy bracelets
and bani'les of silver ami precious stones. His crupper and
necklace consist of many lar^e plates of gold or silver, susj>ended
from a great chain. On his foreliead he weai-s some costly jewel,
and the tips of his tusks are sheathed in richly emlxcssed gold or
silver. Sometimes he wears a golden cn)wn as well, and a
jewelled network on his head and neck. Tlie natives seemed
mucli gratified at our admiration of their barbaric splendour.
One mahout (driver) showed me the heavy pn>d of solid gold,
encrusted with large tunpuuses, wherewith he encourages his
charge; often .striking the poor brute on the skull till he bleeds
horribly.
Within each fantastic howdah sits .some dark chief, glittering
with jewels, and robed in some brilliant material ; silk or velvet
or ca.shmere, stilf with gold and silver; dress, turban, and waist-
cloth each more rich than the other, yet always haniionious in
colouring. I confess our admiration was fairly riveted by some
of these beautiful beings. We had never yet seen such gorgeous
embroidery as this i-aiment of needlework, wrought with divers
colours — such cloth of gold, and jiriceless kinroh from the l<x)ms
of Benares ; such jewels, worn all over head and body ; large
emeralds, often destroyed, in our eyes, by being elabomtely
carved ; pearls, diamonds, and rubies of immense value, .set in
silver; even the yak’s tails, wherewith the servants Hick away
the Hies from their lord’s presence, often have beautifully
jewelled handles.
The (mUI thing is, that with all this sjdendour there is in-
variably some tawdry ingredient, very often something positively
dirty — in short, just such a lack of cleanliness ns I have Uxj often
noticed in certain churches, where fair white linen has been
superseded by richer, but non-washing, materials. As to these
natives, one of the commonest additions to their magnificent
Oriental robes is a pair of common woollen or white cotton
gloves, which certainly do look out of jHace.
Moreover in some cases both the Bajahs and their troops as-
sume English uniform, believing imitation to be truest flattery I
But oh, Ichabod ! their glorv’ vanishes straightway. The dress
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and the wearer are utterly incongruous, ami the eoiiihinatiou i.s
one of hideous vulgarity.
Of all the native trcmps none were so picturesque as an
artillery camel corps Itelonging to the Hajah of Putialah. Tlie
camels and their riders are draped in scarlet and yellow, and
each carries a long gun, which revolves on a swivel fbced to the
pommel of the saddle. They are said to Vje a capital and very
efficient corps. An officer who has seen them on service
de.scribes how the bombadier, sitting astride behind the gun,
loads and fires with wonderful rapidity, apparently placing the
poor camel’s head in imminent jeopanly. “The animals move
along at a swinging trot, following each other, with long out-
stretched necks, like a fh^ck of wild geese. At a word they
halt, fire a broadside, and jog off agiiin at the rate of fifteen
miles an hour.”
Our acquaintance with camels had hitherto been limited to the
Arabian camel or dromedary, with a single hump, which is the
only variety now in use in the jdains, being by far swifter than
the Bactrian camel, to which it bears much the same relation
that a hunter docs to a cart-horse. Moreover, the foot of the
dnuuedary, which is only fitted for walking on .sand or dry
earth, naturally points to its use on the parched and arid plains ;
whereas its Bactrian brother has no objection to any amount of
hill work. Not that the dromedaries refuse a moderate amount
of climbing, (as we saw at Cairo, where the patient creatures
toiletl up the steep Mokattcm crag, bearing water for the guanl
at the jwwder magiizine) ; the only walking which is positive
misery to them being over wet or slippery ground, when their
feet slide in every direction, and tlieir long legs are in such con-
stant danger of dislocation, that it is sometimes nece.s.sary to
strap them together, comjwlling the creature to advance with the
8horte.»t possible stejts.
Tlie Bactrian camel is preferreil for the artillery corps for the
double reiuson that its foot is better adapted to variety of gi-ound,
and also that it can carry nearly double weight. It i.s, however,
far worse-tempered, and in one sense is less enduring than the
dromedary, lus it cannot go for moie than three days without a
fresh supply of water; wheieus the latter can carry nearly a
week’s store in its wonderful cistern stomach, thence drawing at
need. On the other hand, the Bactrian camel has a great
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92 FROM THE HEBRIDES
advaiitaiie in tlie double hump, whose cells of fat do undoubt-
edly act as a larder in cases of starvation. Both hunips will
actually shrivel almost uj) to nothin}' l>efore the rest of the botly
wastes fn)m hun}'er. They are nierely excrescences, nowise
affecting the structure of the animal, so that it is only a skilful
anatomist who ciin discern between the skeletons of the two
species.
It is .said that the most serviceable of all camels are those of
mixed breed ; that is to say, of Bactrian parentage by Arabian
mothers. A corps of two thousand of these was employed by
Ueneral Harlan in a winter campai}i;n on the snowy Indian
Caucasus, and more hanly Ijeasts of burden were never known ;
in fact, during seven months, only one was lost, and that was
killed by an accident. It is a curious fact that the original
home of the camel is not known. Ajiparently no wild species
now exist ; even those untamed hcnls which roam on tlie
frontiers of China being all private property. Like the elephant,
the camel and dromedary move both lc}?3 on the same side at
once, thus swiii}png the wlude botly with an awkwaixl motion,
which, like some other novelties, is very unpleasant till you are
accustomed to it. Nevertheless, the fact of their being able to
travel upwarls of seventy miles daily ftir many consecutive days
would make them precious in other lands besides the plains of
Asia ; but the attempt to trans])lant them to Euroiie or America
has invariably failed. They seem to pine for home, and very
((uic.kly droop and die.
I’erhaps the most curious of all the «|uaint varieties of eijui-
page in tlie great gathering at Umballa was an English open
phaeton, dr.iwn by a pair of dromedaries ; and I heard of a
similar carriage and four! Anything more utterly incongruous
you cannot imagine. Of course, it was an object of sjiecial
aversion to all other carriages, as no horse can endure meeting
either camels or elephants ; for which leason both are generally
proliibited from appearing on the Mall.
liut as to the native vehicles, they are always lucturesiiue.
Scores of ipieer little ei-km, with their curtained hoods, and
high shafts, balancing two wheels, were for ever tearing along as
fast as one fat pony could gallop; while the moi-e stately family
coach, with its double pyramidal hood (a small hood in front
and a laige one at the back), all closely draped with scarlet
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!*3
and gold, is drawn by bfuutil'ul white oxen very richly cayia-
risoned, and stepping as proudly as though they knew how
precious a burden of "lights of the harem,” “cond lips."
“ hcait’s desires,” “ delight of the eyes,” “ morning stars," and
other dainty dames, were hidden from the vulgar gaze by that
envious drapery. Sometimes a little jewelled hand would
cautiously draw back a corner of tlie cuilain, and a pair of
beautiful bright eyes would j)eep forth, and even favour us witli
a smile ; then all too (juickly retreat again, and leave us to the
contemplation of the casket only, wherein were concealed so
many dazzling gems.
As to the crowd on foot, each ingredient was a picture in
itself. There were much the same figures as we had already
seen at various holy fains. Women attired in jackets and
])yjainas, which are tlie very tightest of silk trou.sers, worn on the
leanest of legs ; their veils of finest muslin, gold-spangled, or
plain as the case may be. Otliers were more dmpwl — pyjamas
invisible. All alike were adorned with every jewel they could
muster, including small looking-glasses set in silver and worn as
thumb-rings. For the mo.st part they carrieil a child astride on
the hip. Sometimes on the other shoulder sat a still younger
child, its head re.sting on its mother’s. 1‘erhaps the whole family
were present, in which case the father pnrbably carr ied a banrlioo
across his shoulder from which two large ba.skets w'ere susjrended
by long cords. Probably one basket contained a little brown
l)oy, with silken cap embroidered with gold; the other repre-
sented tlie luggage of all the i>arty, food and cooking yiot in-
chrded.
Even the varied methods of drivirrg divers animals was not
without interest. The bullocks being driven by a rope through
the nose, and by a twist of the tail ; drawing, as I before said,
only by pressure of a wiaiden yoke against the liurnp. The camel’s
bridle is attacheil to a piece of wood with small bibs of cork, also
passing through the nostril. The elephant is generally obedierrt
to his driver’s voice ; but if ob.stinate, a little gentle suasiorr is
applied with a spiked iron prod, horrible to behold.
Wednesday morning came, and with it should have arrived
our Affghan guests. Everymne was waiting at the station, at
dawn of day, anxiously expecting the train, (.'rowds of Europearrs
aird brilliantly dressed natives, and a large cavalry e.scnrt, waited
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i<4 FROM THE HEBRIDES
till they were weary, wlien tidings were bnuight that His High-
ness Shere Ali Khan, Ameer of Aft'ghanistan, liad unfortunately
eaten a whole bottle of pickles and drunk the vinegar, and would
certainly Im* unable to come till the afternoon. So in the after-
noon we returned. Again there was a great gathering of
Europeans, as well as of gorgeous natives ; the road was lined
with native cavalry and other troops ; an escort of Hussars
awaited our guests, and altogether the scene was as brilliant as
heart could wish. The poor Ameer looked decide<lly ill, and it
must be confessed that he seemed as horribly frightened as you
or 1 might liave done when twenty-one fog-signals successively
e.xjdtHletl under the engine as it cfime in. prej»aratory to a grand
artillery salute. You must recollect that the railway was in
itself a startling novelty to him, and to one trained from his
cradle in the villanous treacheries .sanctioned in all Asiatic policy,
such a step as venturing unarmed, amt with but a handful of
followers, into the heart of the British Empire, might well be
accompanied by .some fpialms, which, however well concealed
in general, were likely to lie fairly roused by the first fog-signal !
Of the treacheries so freely' sanctioned in the politics of Asia,
few better examples can be offered than the career of Shere All’s
father, Dost Mohanuned, who may be said to have founded the
Affghan kingdom by the assassination of one after another of
the leading chiefs, till all jiower was vested in his own hands.
He apjKunted Shere Ali, his third son, as his .successor, a decision
naturally objected to by his elder brothers, aTul one which led to
five years’ civil war ere his jwsition was established, and he
himself recognized by the British Government and accejited as
an ally.
Next morning all the troojis turned out at daybreak for a
grand review, but HLs Highness, not having (piite got over the
pickles, deferred it till the afternoon — rather to the disgust of all
concerned, as the morning was excpiisite. Happily the evening
proved ju.st as fine, so we magnanimously foi-gave him. It was
a beautiful field. The mixture of native troops in turbans, the
79th Highlanders, with their bill feather bonnets defying the
sun ; the Eurojican cavalry and artillery with while helmets ; the
picture.sque corps of native horse ; and the brilliant native fore-
ground, with camels, bullocks, elephants, and horse.s, without
number, each with trappings and housing more brilliant than
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its iieiglibour. In tlie backgrouml lay the city of wliite tents
and dark trees ; and far beyond all, batlied in Ibe soft evening
light, lay the snow-capped Himalayas, aim and end of our
wanderings.
The next morning dawned with a strange feeling of incon-
gruity. It was Good Friday. How it came to pa.ss that tlie
Holy Week should have been the season of all otliers selected
for this Grand Darbar I do not know, but the utter lack of
harmony l>etween scene and season jarred at every turn. Umballa
has the advantage of an nnusnally tine church — quite the best 1
saw in India — with a full comjdement of well-ordered services.
These would, I l>elieve, have carried the day if balanced against
commonjdace pomps and vanities ; but when it became a ques-
tion of such irresistible barbaric jiageants, why, we argued like
that worthy Scot, a keen fisherman, who (looking from his
windows one lovely Sabbath morning on the quiet trout stream
gliding beneath the birch-trees) determined that “ he wadna bide
to lie tempted, he wad just gang!” So the week slipped by, in
the ditticult attempt to combine things incomj)atible, and with
the usual result ; for too often the loud clear tones of the bells
that sounded athwart the plain to call all Christian j>eople to
matins or even.song rang vainly in our ears; too wholly en-
grossed by the strange new sights and sounds that surrounded
ns.
lint on this one great day the Ameer was informed that there
couhl be no review.s, for it w'as the Christian’s holiest day, and
from morning till night there were a succession of services, when
the great church was crowded to overflowing. But as we crossed
the plain in the afternoon we found a greater gathering than we
had yet seen, for all the llajahs and their retainers were re-
hearsing their part in the great pageant of the morrow, being
therein instructed by the English authorities.
Agiiin the church was crowded, and “a great company of
Christian jieople ” knelt in its solemn twilight, but strove in vain
to shut out the jarring sounds of the outer world; for just us
the service commenced the distant roar of voices drew nearer
and nearer, and the whole army of Heathendom slowly marched
liack to its own camp, passing right in front of the great western
door; every strange fantastic form, of camels with long guns,
elephants with their howdahs, men on horseback, men on foot.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
yti
all seeminj' weird and uneartldy as they cut black against the
flood of golden sunset-light. It was vain alike for the organ to
jKHir forth its most solemn tones, or for the full clear voice of
the preacher to attempt to make itself heanl above that mad-
dening din — the voices of native oflicers shouting to their men,
the beating of tomtoms, the jingling bells of all the elephants,
the creaking of wheels, the march of that vast mass of human
Ijeings, while each regiment had its own band playing every con-
ceivable tune simultaneously — opera.s, valses, jxdkas — every
homble discord you can possibly imagine.
It wiis a strange accomjianiment to that graiul ser\'ice.
I doubt whether Mohammedan authorities in a Mohammedan
city would have thus sufl'ered a Christian procession to silence
the worship of their Moscpie; but, you see, they are not troubled
with false shame in these mattei's, and ilo not try to hide their
faith in any corner, so it be out of sight.
By dayl)reak the following morning all the world was astir, to
receive the Governor-General. The English and native cavalry
were drawn up at the station as his e,scort. A broad green road
right across the Maidan led direct from the station to the V'^ice-
regid camp, a distance of two miles, the whole of which wa.s
lined, on either side, with a living wall of llajahs, and all their
belongings — their troops, their camels, their elephants. The
effect was somewhat six>ilt by the width of the road, whereby
all efl’ect of rich detail was lost. As the Viceregal carriages
and their Hussar e.scort came slowly down the middle, each
l>and in tum struck up ‘'God save the Queen,” and as all played
in different keys, and began in succe.ssion, the eftect was truly
astonishing, yea, electrifying ! There was an attempt at a cheer,
but the Hindu lungs, however willing, seem quite incapable of
making themselves heard in that form.
This procession luiving reached the white tent where floated
England’s flag, with the Himalayan background, we next drove
to a corner of the plain, where we knew the whole of that vast
anay must march pa.st us; and this, 1 think, was the ]irettiest
sight of all. It was the first time we fully realized the ma.ss of
human beings present, and they all passe<l so close to us that we
had full leisure to inspect every detail of ifliysiognomy, armour,
dress, and jewellery, Iwth of men and animals.
In the afternoon we returned to the Viceregal camp, to be
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U7
pre.<«ent at tliat embmliiuent of all our dreams of Oriental sideii-
dour — a Grand Darbar — of which, ns of most kindred enjoy-
ments, one taste proved sutticient. We would not have misse<l
it on any account, but henceforth we can sympathize with
the Frenchman’s summary of the joys of hunting', and say
with infinite satisfaction, " J't) ai Hi!” or, we may say, as
Horace Walpole <lid of the Coronation of Geor>;e III., “ Well,
it was all delightful, but not half so charming as its being
over ! ”
The 79th Highlanders were on duty, as were also the 4th
Hussars. On one side of the great tent were seated all the
Knglish ladies ; on the other sat all the gorgeous Rajahs, and
between them sbxKl the unoccupied throne. In due time the
Governor-General arrived, and walked up to the throne. Then
followed a most awkwanl pause. The Ameer had somehow been
delayed ; and as it seemed against etiipiette for the Viceroy to
speak to any lesser potentate on such an occasion, everyone
stood waiting in a silence which became more and more opi>res-
sive. At length he came, accompanied by his nice little son,
a pretty child with large dark eyes, the j>et of the harem, and
his father’s special darling. He and all his followers were tlressed
as usual in a sort of ilirty old brown dressing gown, with a tall
black woollen cap ; his retainers being a few shades dingier than
himself, and presenting a striking contrast to the array of mag-
nificently dressed native cliiefs, who had assembled to grace the
reception of the ally whom England delighted to honour. On
these occasions the number of steps which a great man must
advance to meet his guest are all matters of rigid etiquette ;
I>ord Mayo, l)eing desirous to do great honour to the Ameer,
advanced to receive him as far as the door of the tent, and they
returned, I think, hanil in hand. As they pa.ssed up to the
throne, and there sat for some time conversing, I think all
])resent felt j)roud of England’s representative, and glad that the
dignity of our Queen and of our race should bo .so well uphehl
before these native princes, as they assuredly were, by one so
calm and stately, and withal so thoroughly courteous and genial,
as w'as he whose untimely death India and Britain were so soon
to mourn.
In striking contra.st with his dignified mien and commanding
presence was the appearance of tlie dark dingy man, with the
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
subtle, cunning eyes, and arrayed in the dirty brown robe, and
tall woollen Imt, wlio certainly did not impress us favourably
at the time. Yet I think that when two years later tidings
reached England of tliat dastanlly murder at which the whole
world stood aghast, there were few who were not touched by
tlie genuine sjnnpathy and personal sorrow shown in the letter
of the Ameer to tlie Acting Viceroy, in which, after speaking of
the universal love and esteem in which Lonl Mayo was held for
his many high and excellent qualities, and of his own personal
loss in tlie death of his friend, he added, that tlie unvarying
kindness and friendship shown him by Ixird Mayo had lieen
such as to induce him to determine (should the affairs of
Afl'ghanistan permit of such a step) to accompany his Excellency
on his return to England, that he miglit have the gratification of
a personal interview with Her Majesty, us well as the pleasure of
travelling in Europe. Such trust spoke volumes for the confi-
dence inspired hy the Viceroy’s wise jHilicy, and for the influence
he had acquired with these half-civilized sons of the mountains.
Of course the conversation at the Darbar was all carried on
through an interpreter, and in a low voice, and while we, the
spectators, all sat round in dead silence, gazing at the two great
men, we could perceive that Lord Jlayo sometimes had hanl
work to suppress a smile. For, as we afterwards learnt, Affghan
phnuseology is peculiar, as you may judge from the Ameer’s reply
to a courteous enquiry whether all arrangements had been made
for his comfort, tliat since entering the British territory his
stomach had lieen full I Some other replies were equally re-
markable.
The Queen’s presents to the Ameer were next pro<luced ; trays
without number were carried in, laid at his feet, and removed
again. Silver hn1)ble-bubbles, clocks, trays full of gold and
silver ornaments, musical boxes, field-glasses, vases, guns and
pistols innumerable, gold-embroidered shoes, dresses of richest
brocaded silk of every colour of tlie rainbow, stiff with gold
embroidery, rich Kashmere raiment for his favourite wife, and
jewels for her and for the child. Of course it would be un-
seemly that he should even glance at these things, far less seem
pleased. Yet at the sight of the firearms his eyes sparkled, for
he is an out-and-out soldier, who cares for nothing so much as
weajions, and tlie pleasure of using them. In addition to
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the trillea iihove-iiaiuetl, whicli were valued at £5,(100, En-iland
jire-sented her ally with a whole battery of artilleiy (iiiiie-
jHimiders), also with many elephants and horses, and a .sum of
£12,000 in money.
The interview lasted about half-an-hour, after which the two
great men dejairted, and the Viceroy having escorted Shore Ali
Khan to the door, had the .satisfaction of himself escaping foi a
gallop on the Maidan, leaving all the goi'geous Kajuhs and
Euro]>eans still sitting in solemn silence round the tent, ami the
Darliar was over.
Ere we di.spersed, however, we ttH)k another lesson in Eastern
courtesies, and learnt by what small distinctions our degrees of
homage may be varied. So soon as the Ameer had driven off,
having received his full salute, two aides-de-cainp returned, and
silently taking the great Raja of Putialah by each hand led him
out. Then one of them returned, and handed out each lesser
Rajah by one hand, each being on his departure saluted by one
or two guns fewer than his jiredeces.sor, till the turn came for
the very small ones, who got no hand, and no salute at all !
Easter morning dawned fresh and home-like, with a light
breeze, cool and balmy. It was still early when we reached the
crowded church, whence a very large military congregation had
already dispersed. The building, as I before remarked, is so
good as to be cpiite e.vceptional, with very fine stained glass. Tlie
Easter decorations were lovely. Masses of roses and jessamine,
and all green things of the earth, not reduced to the e.xceediug
refinement of modern English decorations, but a good old-
fashioned wealth of flowers, in great bunches and giirlands, and
twining in festoons round every pillar and arch. 1 suppose this
was the work of some of the soldiers, and there was a well-
trained military choir.
A vast number of natives a.s.sembled near the door to see the
congregation “ scale ” as we s;iy in the north. Not a very enter-
taining process, I fear ! I think after that they must all have
gone to sleep, for the town seemed empty, and the quiet of that
evening’s service was in very marked contrast with the pande-
monium during that of Good Friday. As we wended our home-
waixl way, there was no .sound to disturb the “ soft stillness of
the Indian night,” save an occasional bugle-call, or the silent
footsteps of some peaceful jicdestrian like ourselves.
Ji 2
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IIIO FROM THE HEBRIDES
( )iie niore tlay was (levoteil to the Aflyians. Jly sunrise all
were astir to see a ;jriuul review and sliani fiftlit — a scene so
picUiresque as to make everythin'' of the sort in Britain seem
utterly commonplace, not even exceptin'' the oreat Volunteer
Beviews at Ilolyrood, with Arthur’s Seat ami its livin<f thronj'
for a ImckfiTound. The ffround itself was admirable, the f^^-at
plain afl'onlinf' ample rmim for the movement of tr<Hi](H,and the sur-
roundin'' trees, fields, and bridfies servin" as an enemy’s countrj',
where they mioht skirmish to tlieir hearts’ content, appearing
and disa]>})earin;' through tlie clouds of their own smoke. But
to me the endless centre of deliobt lay in the native spectators.
1 inifiht tell you, till you were weary, of ftroups of twenty or
thirty elephants here, a score of camels tliere, and all the other
injiretlients of that enchanting kaleidoscojie, but I couhl not give
you the faintest idea of the life, colour, and movement that sur-
roumled us on that sunny fresh morning as we rapidly drove
from point to point.
The Ameer scanned the field with the keen ej'e of an old
s<ddier, and in Oriental phra.se compaml it to a fair garden with
many blos-soms, tliose on which his eye rested with mo-st
pleasure being the Highlanders and the artillery. He showed
Ids appreciation of tlie fonner by l>estowing large backsheesh
on the fifteen jiipers, whose wild music doiibtle.ss jileased his
ear far better thati the more polislied strains to which in the
Viceroy’s tent he listened so politely. I’robably tiiey carried him
l«ck to bis own wild hills, and his own regiments of sturdy hill
men.
] )o you remember how much Sir M'alter Scott was interested
in noticing the similarities of the.se Afl'ghan Highlanders with
our own ancestors ? The intcn.se love of Ixith for a wibl untram-
melled life, the same curious .su]K?rstitions, the same quaint
method of divination by reading marks on a slieep-bone whereon
knife had never come, the same frugid adherence to one meal
a day, the same curious form of submission, when resistance
had jiroved utterly hojHdes.s, by delivering up their sword held
by the point, then laying their liead on a block as if to await
death. This best acme of humiliation is one which, we may
hope, did not often occur in the north !
The ailmiration of many of the hill tribes for the Scotch bag-
jdpea has often attracted attention. Hiiring Sir John Ijiwrence’s
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Darbar at Laliore tlie Maliarajah of Kaslimere was so euchautod
by the pijHjre of the 93nl Hii'hlaiiders that lie sent an eiubas-sy
to Sealcote, requesting tlmt some of liis own men might be
taught tlie use of the pi]ies. And another chief sent to Scotland
direct for divers stands of jtijies, to ensure his getting the genuine
article. It is said, too, that in Xeiiaul, where a variety of the
same instrument is now considered national music, it was first
intnsluced by a Scotch otiicer of the name of Macrae, a H igh-
lander fiimi Kinlail, who beguiled his leisure by playing the old
pijws and teaching the natives to do likewise.
But, however much the Ameer admired the Higlihinders, his
keenest interest was reseiA'ed for the cavalry and artillery ; more
esjiecially the Mountain JIule Battery', which consists of small
gun.s, each of which can at a moment’s notice be sejianited from
its carriage and its wheels, and, together with its ammunition,
may be carried almost anywhere by sturdy mules, and at once
be made ready for action. These were to the Mountain Chief
a source of inten.se intere.st, and England's gift of a similar
battery was to him a matter of unfeigned delight.
Having thus seen His Highne.ss in his own element, it only
remained for us to meet him once more at the Viceroy’s evening
reception, or, as the natives wouhl .say, at the Lord Sahib and the
ljuly Sahib’s great feast. 'I'liere lie apjieared with all his atten-
dants, in the identical brown ilressing-gowns and black woollen
caps, looking dingier and dirtier than ever, in contrast with the
magniticent evening raiment of the liejewelled Bajahs ; to .say
nothing of the multitude of English ladies pre.sent. What may
have been the Ameer’s private opinion of the latter 1 know not,
for he had learnt wisdom in his travels, and kept his own counsel.
He had lieen less cautious, a few days previously, when all the
beauty and fashion of 1‘eshawur had turned out to receive him ;
when, after coolly surveying them all, he remarkeil to the
gentlemen Ix-side him, that he jicieeived that the binglish, j st
like their neiglilwurs, kcjit all the pretty women safe at home !
This reception Wiis held in gre.at tents ojiening one into
another, and it was curious to see the Ameer and the Bajahs
being formally led about by the hand whenever it plea.sed them
to jiiuss from one tent to the next. As to the Bajahs, they
lo-<ked like a body of magnificent dowagers; you almost ex-
jiected to sec white .satin shoes, instead of lirown I are feet.
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102 FROM THE HEBRIDES
aiipearing from beneath tlieir splendid brocades. The admira-
tion of the huliea was divided between these heavy butterflies
and the Ameer’s pretty son with the large dark eyes. This
child, AWoolla, seems destined to jday some part in Affghan
history, .Shei’e Ali having apparently detenuined to rejHjat his
father’s political bluniler, and (passing over his two elder sons)
apix)int Abdoolla his successor, thus again jilunging his country
in civdl war ; a war which would be the more certain, inasmuch
as the second son, Yakoob Klian, is a man of rare ability and
bravery, and one who, as governor of Herat, Inos gained vast
jMipularity witli his subjects. It is said that Shere Ali’s success
in securing the throne was grtiatly due to Yakoob’s wise tactics
and firm su]>y)ort. Yet so small a part does gratitude jday in
K-istern politics that when, in 1874, Shere Ali formally declared
Abd<K)lla his successor, he did-not scrujde to induce Yakoob to
)>ay him a friendly visit in Cabul, under jiretext of reconsidering
the question, and treachenjusly detaineil him prisoner. On this oc-
casion llritish influence succeeded in averting the ordinary Asiatic
catastrophe, but whether it will jirove strong enough to induce the
Ameer to recognize him as heir to the crawn remains to l>e seen.
Tlie.se cirt'.umstances, however, aihl intere.st to the recollection of
the little child at the Darkir, who greatly exciteil our commisera-
tion, because, being trained up in the way he should go, ho was
only allowed two meals a day, and having breakfasted at daybreak
had tasted nothing since then. How he must have longed for
his supyier I Nevertheless he l(K)ked fpiite happy, and stood by
the ])iano, watching the motion of the inner leathers with a
child’s usual delight. There was some excellent singing, but I
believe the natives con.sider that music is the one thing of which
we are inca|ial>le, infinitely luvferring their own wearisome
monotonous chants.
The following morning we bade adieu to I'mballa, which
continued in a sUitc of ferment for .some days longer, ere the
Ifritish and native camps broke nji, and the multitude of
visitors once more scattered to their divers ([uarters. We were,
however, anxious to reach Simla, and so started without further
delay, travelling as far as Kalka at the hx>t of the hills by dak
or ])ost ghany — a nuKle of travelling the joys of which have
been jiretty often de.scrilHjd, but never amended. The ghany
itself is comfortable enough. It is in hict a small travelling van.
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103
a Ion" box on wlieels, limig high on account of the streaina
which you may have to foril. A sliding door on each side acts
ns a window ; there is no glass, of course, so though you may
shut out the sun in some measure, there is no chance of exclud-
ing dust, which pours in in stifling clouds. 1 a!Vc 1 with the
door is a long cushion whereon you lie at full length ; geuendly
your bedding is unrolled and outspread, so as to l)e less in your
way. To sit up you must either s<juat like a Hindu, or send
your toes out of the dwr. There is a well lieneath the carriage in
which your smaller luggage is stowed, but this has to be removed
to the top if the rivers are swollen. Inside the gharr}’^ are all
manner of pockets and shelves for your books, sketching-blocks,
dressing materials, focxl, and so forth. In short it is a house on
wheels. As a general rule each person has a gharry to himself,
as it is rather close (piartei-s for two, esj>ecially on a long journey
and in hot weather. ISo far nothing could be more suiUible to
the work.
But the crown of sorrows lies in the unhapjiy team ; miserable
bnites, whose hapjjier days, if they ever had any, have been long
forgotten, and to whom the knacker’s yard would be a blessed
release from the torture of daily life. At eatdi stage they seem
to grow worse and worse, so that to start them on a fresh run
is work for a dozen men, and never done under half an hour.
On a tolerably good road you are only allowed one horee; should
a second I>e necessary, he is harnessed outside the shafts, as an
outrigger, and simply runs alongside. At every halt you are
sure of some trouble before you are agiiiu under way; con-
sUintly the poor beasts that await you are galled and exhausted
by their last run. Should they chance to Ih 3 fresh they are
brought out biting, .screaming, plunging, kicking, rearing ; held
by main force of a dozen coolies and syces. Once harnessed,
nothing will induce them to move. Vainly all their attendants
seize the wheels, and turn them so as to force on the gharry.
The stubborn brates either turn right round or throw themselves
down. Then some burning straw is juoduced which probaldy
brings them to their feet again. A rope is now tied to their
forelegs, another to their heads, the wheels are turned by strong
arms, and thus they are dragged along for perhaps a mile, accom-
panied by an ant-like black swarm of all but naked coolies,
screaming, howling, yelling, shoving, beating; alternately pouring
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ID4
forth maledictions and jxjrsuasions, terms of endeanuent, and of
opprobrium, with amazing volubility.
After half-an-hour has thus been wasted, the steeds pm-
bably go olf at a tearing gallop, when you fully expect to
hint! in the ditch. I’erhaps after awhile you fall asleep. Vou
awake to find everytliing at a stand.still. The coachwanee and
syce are quietly hubble-bubbling (t.e. smoking) together by the
roadside ; tlie wheels are .sunk up to the axle in a l*ed of saml
and shingle, or wet kunker (which becomes a sort of heaxT clay),
for the roads have Ixien cut up with heavy traffic, and long
trains of bullock waggons are working their way to Simla, with
the heavy baggage of the whole English community.
There is nothing for it but to wait patiently till a squad of
men can be collected ; all pas.sers-by are impres.sed, and leml
their aid b) extricate the wheels from the deep ruts. Sometimes
even this fails ; then you must wait till bullocks can be j)ro-
cured to drag you thn)ugh the mire ; and then comes all the
trouble of another harne.ssing and another start.
About nine hours of this work brought us toKalka; at the
foot of the. Himalayas, wliich cast their grand cool shadows far
over tlie weary land. Here we still have tlie rich vegetation of
the plains. Date palms, plantains, all manner of flowering
shrubs, and the sweet balKxd tree, with its silky yellow blossoms.
Kalka is a pretty village, wonderfully like Dunkeld without the
river. These low sjiurs of the H i mala viis are just like avemge
bits of Scotland, only nuher more abrupt, with red saml cliffs.
Ttie re.semblaiice is further increased by our having to <lecide
Iwtweeu the rival claims of Bain's Inn or MacBimnet’s Hotel.
In either case, however, the landlady proves a talkative half-
caste. We. .selected the former — with a jovial, bustling old
landlady, who evidently rule<l her natives with a n.Kl of iron.
Erf)m Kalka to Simla, you hav'c your choice of two routes, the
ohl anil the new; the former the more pictures(pie, the hitter the
bettor road ; so much better, that when we left Simla we drove
kick all the way to Kalka. Once you reach Simla no wheeled
vehicle of any sort is allowed for fear of acciilents ; indeed I
lielieve that the driving to Simla was a short-lived experiment,
very soon prohibited on account of its danger.
But no carriages had been started at this time. There were,
only the bullock carts in which vast quantities of luggage and
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105
stores were being conveyed to Simla. Human l>eings had eitlier
to ride, or to be carried by coolies in a jamjMn, a doolie, or a
dnndic. The first is a sort of uncomfortable armchair, with four
]K)h's and curtains, in which you are carried on a level with the
slioidders of your Iwarers. The second is a narrow lx;d, in a long
curtained lx)X. In this you are carried almost on a level with
the ground, and get all tlie dust frem the men’s feet, liloreover,
you are so low that you cun never see over the iiarapet, which
))rotects the outer edge of the road, all the way to Simhu Both
jdvipnn and doulie are carried by relays of four men at a time,
and the agreeable motion is just like continuous trotting with-
out a stirrup. These vehicles are first cousins to the old English
sedan chairs of our gnindmothers, grandfathers too, acconling to
Thackeray’s description of the time of George III., when a day
of fashionable life invariably ended “ by making two wretches
cam' you home in a sedan chair, with three pints of claret in
you ; three mites for one shilling." Of the three vehicles afore-
said I iiiGnitely preferred the dandie, of wliich there are two
varieties. In one of these you sit up as in a chair, looking
straight before you — this is called a canoe. In the other you sit
sideways, in a bit of carpet slung on a bamboo ; and feet much
less motion, esjKjcially wlien only carried by two men at a time.
We had already despatched all our heavy baggage by bullock
train ; nevertheless we found that fifty coolies were necessary to
cany ourselves and our small goods; a regiment which assem-
bled beneatli our wimtows long before daybrwik, talking and
bubble-bubbling in a style tliat ensured our not over-sleeping
ourselves.
From Kalka to Simla is generallj' considered a four days’
march, at the rate of aliout fourteen miles a day. Of coui-se
a rider can get over the ground fitster, but few people wlio have
Usen jolted by coolies for fourteen mile.s, will Wire to double their
day’s travel.
Otlierwise there is nothing in the way of lieauty to temjit one
to linger. The.se low spurs of the Himalayas are singularly
uninviting to tlie artistic eye, especially in this early spring time
(it i.s now the beginning of April), when the great swelling
mountains seem altogether arid and barren ; vast shapeless
masses of dry red earth, without so much as a wreath of kindly
vai>our to lend mystery to tlieir ugliness. There is something
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106 FROM THE HEBRIDES
intensely wearisome in this endless succession of long unhi-okeu
lines, extending from far overhead to tlie deep valleys below.
Every hillside or khad, as these braes are called, is so exceed-
ingly steep that it Ixjcoines a most difficult, I might say danger-
ous, scramble to keep your footing the moment you step off the
road.
Yet it has none of the lieanty that you might expect from
such precipitous ground ; in fact, till you go two or thrt!e
marches above Sinda, you need never exi>ect to see a natural
j)recipice. The only suggestion of such a thing is caused by the
cutting of the road, which, .as it winds along the face of the hill,
certainly has a considerable rock wall on the inner side. The
timlier, too, is of very average size and interest ; small pine
trees, immense quantities of wild barberry, and great cacti
(1 had almost said cactus trees, they are .so large) stretch out
their bare jointed arms like huge candelabra, with invisible
yellow’ blossoms; not the handsome palmated cactus of the
plains, but a much more ghostly plant. I am (juite aware that
these our first impressions of these hills were unfavourable.
When we returned over the same ground after the rains those
steep red khad« were clothed in a verdure so brilliant that thev
seemed to us like richly-shaded velvet draperie.s, over which
the light mists floated in soft gauze-like clouds. But now there
Wiw no such illusion, and when we reached our first night’s
destination, at a little roadside bungalow, near the Military
Hill Station of Dagshai, we agreed that we had rarely seen any-
thing more truly hideous than these great bleak bills. Of course
they were not without some redeeming features. Here and
there the great red khwh * were gemmed with patches of vivid
green, marking where diligent hands had Ireen at work, cultivat-
ing tiny fields in long narrow terraces, only a few feet wide,
wherever a morsel of ground could be levelled. These very crops
were among the beautiful things that delighted us later in the
year, when they had turned to scarlet and gold, matted with
brilliant white and blue convolvuli, and attracting clouds of
lustrous butterilies. Even now, there was a wealth of wild
flowers, and my coolies, true Highland huls, were for ever dart-
ing up and down the steep kJmd to bring me some new treasure;
so that very soon my jainpan (the funereal armchair with the
’ Hill-side.
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107
black curtains) was all wreathed with wild roses and long trails
of delicate white clematis and sweet jessamine.
Our halt each night was at a Dak bungalow ; in other words,
a Government rest house, where on i>ayment of one ruj>ee, every
traveller has a right to remain four-and-twenty hours, at the end
of which he may Ix) retpiired by any new comer to move on.
'I'he larger bungalows have accommodation for si.v or eight sets of
travellers ; that is U) .s;iy, si.v or eight r«x>ms, each containing a
table, two or three chairs, and a charpotj, or bed.stead. Each
room opens on to the public verandah, where all the ser\’ants
sleep, and us the door is generally oj>en for air, it is provided
with a chick, or thin blind, made of grass. This room also opens
into an inner bath-room, and that again to the outer air, so that
each room luis its own front and biick diwr, thereby securing
thonmgh ventilation.
Every bungalow is supjdied with a regular .staff of Goveni-
ment servants, and the Khamanian, or heiul man, will suj)ply
you with food on his own terms. Not th.at he has much variety.
The inevitable moorf/hic (chicken) alternates with mutton with
unerring regularity. The moment you arrive, and call out for
food, you are certain to hear a scuttle among the poultry, and
should you l>e nush enough to look out at the biick door, you
would certainly see an unlucky hen having her throat cut
acconling to the injunctions of the I’rophet. (Of course these
men must be Mohammedans, ns no Hindu would tiaich sin un-
clean hen, sacred beef, or niiiny other gtwd things dear to the
gluttonous English.) The moment the hen is deml she is plunged
in Ijoiling water, which saves all trouble in plucking, iis her
feivthers then come oft' with a rub, and half an hour later she
appears at your table, either tis a “ grilled Jiioorf/hic," or ilisguised
in an excellent curiy. Bread you are not likely to find, but
chaputtks, which are very thick Hour scones, are tlie oriler of the
day.
A most unex]>ected detention of some days at Kyrie Ghat,
alsnit sixteen miles from Simla, gave us ample opportunities of
studying the manners and customs of Dak bungalows, and of the
very varied travellers who halt there — the loud and self-asserting,
who try to impre-ss the public with a vague idea that they must
l>e “somebody in particular,” the courteous and una.ssuming,
and all the intermediate specie.s.
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los FROM THE HEBRIDES
Everyone was now pressing up to Simla, to escape from tlie
heat, wliich was already licginning to he opprtissive in the plains,
whereas here the air was balmy and delicious, and a cool, sweet
breeze came to ns from the far-away snow-peaks whicli we could
just discern on the horizon. But of “ mountain stillness ” we
experienced little, for though, ha])pily, tlie majority of travellers
selected the old road, there was a continual influx of new cornel's,
.'jiK'h accomjianied by thirty or forty chattering coolies, wlio,
together with the unhapjy servants, vainly attempted to keej)
themselves warm in the cliilly niglit by continual smoking, and
a liubble-bubble is xiich a noisy, gutgJing pijie. Tlien, witli the
earliest glimmer of the dawn, they were all lustir, and such a
clatter ensueil of breakfast and packing, and getting away again.
And all night long tlie Jackals were careering about, and
uttering uneartldy yells close to tlie house ; sometimes rushing
on to the verandah in their mad scaiii]>er8. Sometimes they even
come into the eiiijity looms, and curl themselves up in a corner.
And worse than the jackals is the f/ioA-idur, or ixtliceinan, who
guards each hou.se all night, and is bound to yell from time to
time to prove that he is awake. An admintble metluMl of iin-
juoving the sleej) of his neighlxmrs, and of showing thieves
whereabouts he is.
And day and night alike there was the ince.ssant grinding of
never-ending strings of heavy bullock waggons, with their
creaking wooden wheels, making almost as much noise as the
“kites ’’which to Indian ears speaks volumes. These bullock
trains were jierpetuully jia.ssing up and down the steep hill roail,
either taking baggage to Simla, or I'eturning heavily laden with
wood.
One jMxir bullock sank exhausted near our windows, and was
of course left to die. We would fain have had it shot, but no
one tlared touch the jxjor sacmd creatui-e. All we could do was
to carry water to it in our brass bason, but it was t«x> ill to drink.
Next morning it dietl, and the first pas.sers-by threw its cai-ca.se
down the kluid. Meanwhile eiigles, kites, and vultures had
a.s.sembled in a great body on the hill above us, and at a given
signal, their dinner-bell, I sujipose, they all swooped down
simultaneou.sly, and started fair. In ten minutes only the
carcase remained, picked quite clean, and the Ixmes were finally
I>oli3he<i by swarms of ants.
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Anotlier day a larj'e tr<K)j> of ninnkeys fame over tlie iiiuuii-
taiiis to liave a look at us; but our favourite ])layf'ellow8 were
two lovel)' little Mack and white Indian kids, which were for
ever running' away from their natural companions, the cook’s
black babies, and comin;' to skip about our r<Kim.
IJesides the truvellei-s who actually jait up at the bun;iiilow there
were sundry others wlu> would have eamjied elsewhere, could they
have found a morsel of level ;jround. But such a thin;j literally
does not e.\ist in any yiart of tlie Himalayas that I have seen.
Kven tlie tiny spots on which all the bungalows are percheil have
invariably Ireen artificially levelled. And so at Kyrie Ghat, the
only level omund wiibin many miles is a small bit in front of the
house.
Here one day we had a iiuKSt picturesque arrival, namely, that
new Artillery Corjis, tlie Mountain Battery, which had attracted so
much admiration from the Affolians at l^mballa. It was now
ffoino for the first time to tlie hills, to be quartered at Jatoo,
near Simla. They were marchino in detachments. The first
day all the married men, women, children, and sick came up.
Tliey had covered carts, in which to live nioht and day, but as a
terrific thunderstorm came on as usual, at ni"ht wo shared our
quarters with some of the women.
Tliey had scarcely departed the following morninp, when the
whole battery came U]>. Such a ‘‘natty" coqis, with their lieautiful
little onus all taken to pieces; wheels, carriaoe, ;jun, and ninety
roumls of ammunition for each gun ; all packed so neatly on
many mules. I think there were a hnndred and seventy mules
to six guns. Also a considerable nunilier of bullock carts with
baggage, and a long .string of camels Viringing up the tents. The
camels came and knelt lieside our verandah, with their noses
almost in at the windows. Then they retired, as did also the
mules, which were picketerl on a narniw ridge lielow us. In less
than no time the guns were put up in front of the verandah,
and the white tents beyond ; while the bullock carts were drawn
up for the night all along the road, and the blue smoke from
all their fires imule up a very piclure.sque scene. Of human
licings there were about ninety artilleiymen in white uniform,
with white helmets, and a great number of native mule-drivers
in dark blue uniform with scarlet turbans.
I can never forget the kindne.ss of those men when they heanl
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HO FROM THE HEBRIDES
that a lady was ill in the house, and their hearty ocjod wishes for
the tiny little one, whose yonn<; life had eommenced in so stnuioe
a home. Literally there was scarcely a sound to he hear<l. Cer-
tiiinly not a tithe of the noise made by many private parties ;
though I mu.st .say that the.se, one and all, had done their utmost
to hush their .servants ami their coolies. Next morning at day-
break we .saw the last of the gunners. For as the sun rose
“ They their tontw like the Aral»s»
And OH «Ieiitly stole away."
That is to say, their departure xvould have been silent, and so,
perhaps, would that of Longfellow’s Arabs ; but, unfortunately,
where camels are to be loaded there never can be silence ; if
they are not grunting, and roaring angrily, and showing their
wicked teeth, they are groaning so plaintively that it is heart-
breaking to hear them. And 1 think, j>erhaps, we should groan
too if we had a bit of wood passed through our nostrils, and
jerked, to make us kneel down. All the time a camel’s load is
being adjusted some one holds a rope passed round the neck
and under the leg, to prevent his rising. When he is loade<l,
one vigorous shake, and the struggle brings him to his legs, and
he stalks off, still grunting and groaning as he goes.
On the crest of the hill, high above the house, we could just
discern a small hill temple, whence from time to time .some
solitary worshi{)[)er descended by a steep craggy path to our
lower world. This temple we determined to explore. It was
late in the afternoon before we started, and of course the distance
doubled as we advanced. Still we were determined to push on,
though it was not till sunset that we reached the little “ chalet,”
which, after all, contained only a few of the very roughest
specimens of idols.
From the temple, however, we had a very fine view of Sunla,
but had scarcely time oven to glance at it, for that strange,
brooding stillness that comes before a storm warned us that
mischief was brewing ; and sure enough, as the sun sank, a wild
thunderstorm rapidly blew up from the west, and lurid red
quickly turned to total blackness. Wo commenced hurriedly
to retrace our steps — no easy matter — for in the excitement of
clambering up, we had scarcely noticed how very rude a path we
tro<l among scatterefl rocks, with small broken stones, and the
most slippery of dry grass. It Wiis very nasty walking, and we
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knew that a fal.<e step would land us a goo<l ileal farther down
the khad than we had any wish to eo.
Meanwhile the storm had burst around us in full violence.
Shaqi tongues of fire seemed to cleave the heavens ; and then
again the pale lightning quivered as though encircling all earth
and heaven in broad sheets of flame; while from the black-
nc.ss around the great cactus arms were outstretched like grey
spirits, such as Gustave Dore would love to draw. So vivid
and incessant were the flashes of fire that we literally scrambleil
down the hill by the light of those celestial lamps, and not
daring to take one step at random, we waited for each flash to
show us where ne.xt to set our feet.
Jfeauwhile the deep echoes of the storm reverlierateil among
the rocky gorges of the surrounding hilts, white the thunder
crashed overhead in awful tumult. Presently great drops of
lain began to fall, and in a very few minutes there came such a
downpour as was positively bewildering, and made us indulge
in many futile resolutions against being caught in future in
Himalayan thunderstonns. It was not our last, however, by a
good many. M'e did get down in course of time, and having
indulged in a precautionary pinch of quinine, for fear of pos-
sible fever, had the satisfaction of finding ourselves none the
woi-se for our ducking.
I was much amused at this place by receiving a message
from the big man of the neighbouring village, that if only I
would show him p ctures of the plains he would supply us with
vegetables as long as we remained at Kyrie Ghat. Evidently
the subject had been discussed in the bazaar. Of course I
signified my willingne.ss to show him my portfolio ; so presently
he arrived. He was an unpleasant-looking man, whom 1 had
frequently noticed as one w'ho w’ould be dangerous in times ot
mutiny. However, he proved a gentle savage, and the servants
gave him an elaborate description of each drawing as I turned
it over, so I have no doubt his mind was greatly enlarged. The
supplies of flowers and vegetables duly arrived, and their some-
what withered condition proved hoiv far the poor fellow must
have sent for them.
A few days later we accomplished the last stage of our
journey to Simla, As the road gradually ascended we left the
great, many-armed cactuses, and the w'ild barberries, the heavy
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112
FROM THE HEBRIDES, ETC-
scent of which was most oppressive. Then ive CBiiie into a belt
of lovely wild flowers. For about two miles we passed tliroiigh
tangles of the most exquisite lai'ge white clematis, each blossom
being about three inches in diameter. Of course we gathered long,
graceful trails of this, till our hideous were ti ansformeil
into fairy bowers, and we. confessed that no flower had ever
bcen^more appropriately nameil than this “Traveller’s Joy.”
Tlien, when we had jias.sed this clematis line, we found our-
selves entering the n-gion of scarlet rhododendron trefs. Ileal,
bona-fide trees, all flaming with gorgeous blo.ssom, more beauti-
ful than any words can tell when seen in the immediate fore-
ground, cutting against deep-blue ranges of di.stant hills, with
glittering snows lieyond, ami the bluest of skies overhead. Hut
ns a general feature in the landscape they have actually less
value, as a bit of colour, than the goo<l Scotch rowan tree, by
reason of the richne.ss of their glossy preen leaves, which
actualh’ neutralize the scarlet blossoms. How' many of the.se
we added to our starry garlands of the great white clematis I
need hardly say. Kven our flower-loving coolies laughed at our
delight over our new treasures, and as to the exceedingly grave
and well-dressed inhabitants of Simla, who were just setting
out to perform their daily round of duty on the Mall, 1 have no
doubt they mistook our procession for some Arkite festival
of the I’aharis, i.e., the hill-men — a conclusion which would
certainly have prevented the majority from ever giving us
a second thought.
And so at length we were all safely landed in Simla.
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(.'HAPTKK V.
SI MI. A.
Now that we had reached this much-desired spot I fear we were
rather disappointed. Certainly it has much the same kind of
beauty as many of our Scotch “hill stations.” In fact, as I
have already said of Kalka, it for ever suggested Dunkeld,
greatly magnified, only minus tlie Tay, for there is not a drop
of water visible anywhere.
Hut I believe we had e.xpected to find ourselves close to the
snows, and to see wonderful pinnacles running up into heaven ;
whereas what we did see was a group of somewhat interesting
hills, all clad alike with small deodars which, when young, are
precisely like spruce fir, in general effect, and, farther, ranges of
interminable hills, where red earth supplies the place of heather,
and myriads of tiny fields suggest toilsome cultivation.
Then, on the far horizon, distant fully a hundred miles, and
not higher, apparently, than the level on which you yourself
stand, lies a long, narrow white line, stretching right across the
landscape, and indented like the teeth of a saw. And this is
the snowy range. After awhile we learned to know and love
each line of that picture, and to recognize the infinite variety of
shapely peaks ; but now I am giving you our first impressions.
There is no denying the fact that the first coup d’ml was disap-
pointing, partly, I suppo.se, because everything is on so vast a
scale, yet all is so perfectly in proportion that it needs a per-
petual intellectual effort to realize its size.
You have to say to yourself again and again, like a child
trying to understand its lesson, here is a mountain range fifteen
hundre<i miles long, and so broad that you mu.st travel for weeks
before you get to the other side. And those peaks of glittering
sntiw, which .seem only like crested waves on the sea-line, are
VOI,. II. • I
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in FROM THE HEBRIDES
for the most part seven times ns liigh as those gi’eat Skye hills
which a few mouths ago seemed to us to tower up to heaven.
Ill fact, one peak, ilount Everest, is very nearly ten time.s as
high as the Cuchullins, and fully five thousand feet higher than
the crowning peak of the Andes. 1 helieve its height has now
been fixed at 29,002 feet, while that of Kiuchinjunga is 28,150,
and Dwnlagiri, the white mountain, is not far behind. But
then you have to remember that, instead of standing on the'sea-
level, you have now unconsciously risen to a height of 7,400
feet, which is the height of the JIall at Simla, an ascent so
very gradual that, as you wind upwai-d from one valley to the
next, you never see any very great depth or height, either below
or above you.
I believe that Simla owes its fame as a hill station to Ixird
Andierst, who, in 1827, selected it as his summer (piarters.
Then Lord Combermere made the Mall, that is, the broad riding
road right round the hill of Jakko, and now, as we all know,
it is the regular summer cpiarters of Government, and of as
many white faces as can follow in the train of so luminous a
comet.
The majority of the hou.ses are so placal that they do not get
even a glimp.se of the snows, though a few of their inhabitants
find a coni|)ensating fact in having a far-away peep of the plains
where their friends are still grilling ; plains which stretch away
in the immeasurable distance, right down to Calcutta, like a
boundless blue ocean, ami lose themselves in a hot mist on
the horizon.
Many of the houses, however, are placed too low to get any
distant view at all, Ijeing dotted a1)out all over the fir-clad
hills, and right down into the cup at their base. There are
upwards of three hundred of these bungalows, all bearing the
strongest family likeness to one another. They are a good deal
like Swi.ss clulltU, having venmdahs uj)slairs and down. More-
over, they arc generally two storeys high; a style of buibling
which, as we had hardly seen a stairca.se since leaving Calcutta,
astonished the servants considerably. Moreover, they have fire-
]daces and blazing fires, which are a great centre of attraction.
Each bungalow — 1 might say “villa” — stands by itself on a
morsel of artificially-levelled ground, only just large enough for
the actual house. The tiniest garden is a luxury almo.st uidieard
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of. It 18 tlie most diflicult tliino you can iina<’ine over to fiml
your way to any house in particular, as the hills, which are all
alike, are intersected by hundreds of paths — also all alike — and
all running through jnecisely the same fir wood.
The patlis leading up to each bungalow are frightfully steep
zigzags cut into the hillside, and generally built up one side.
It would be no joke to have such a clamber for nothing, so the
name of each proprietor is generally painted on a wooden board,
and nailed up on .some conspicuous tree at the point where his
steep and narrow approach diverges from the public path.
You can fancy that a round of morning calls on such hills as
these is a very severe e.vertion. At first we rather despised the
white men and women, who, in this invigorating climate, which
is just like St;otland at its best, adhered to their halnts of the
plains, and would never walk a step. Hut we were soon driven to
confess that, if conventionalities and the drudgery of morning calls
were to be the order of the day, there was nothing for it but to
resign ourselves, like our neighbour.s, to being can'ied alxmt by
a small regiment of strong Highland lads, a detachment of whom
form as necessary an item of your estalilishment in these hills as
your ponies do in Scotland. Tliey also act the part of grass-
cutters, and forage all over the hills for your hoi-se’s fodder.
These lads are known as jainjmnees or dmulic-imlUihst, ac-
cording to the variety of carriage you prefer. The daiu/ir, as
I before said, is the lightest, Wing merely a carpet slung on a
bamlx)o ; and we considered it the more comfortable vehicle.
Most people, however, preferred jampims or armchairs, which,
with their shining leather canopies and black curtains, are sug-
gestive only of cotHiis ; and when accompanied by eight (I have
even seen twelve) bearers, dressed in black and clark blue, or
green liver)', are funereal to a degree.
These men are under command of a superior, known at Simla
as the Mate, and at Mussourie as the tijndal. He never lends a
hand to carry you himself, and merely walks alongsiile of the
others ; and, so far, is more ornamental than useful. Moreover,
he levies blackmail from each of his men, who, neverthele.ss, will
not enter your service unless you engage through him. So you
see there are trades unions even in the Himalayas. A good
mate is, however, really a very imiwrtant servant. He not
only keeps bis men in order, engaging or dismissing them at his
I 2
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own good pleasure, but he also trims the lamps, carries notes,
those incessant chilit, as they are calle/l, and makes himself
generally useful in a thousand ways ; sometimes even carrying
a child.
Children, by the way, have a special variety of doolie — namely,
a bed witii wicker-walls, in which they sleep at night, and
which in the daytime can be slung from a bamboo, and carried
by two men. The multitude of attendants required for these
small creatures verges on the ludicrous. 1 remember one baby
in particular, provided, of course, with two at/ahs, a high-caste
and a low-caste, nurse and nurserymaid in fact, as also with a
bearer. These three imlividuals being insuflicient to take tlie
little innocent for its airing on the Mall, had called out the
whole retinue of jumpaneea — eight in numbt'r — who gravely
shouldered their burden ; and so these eleven human beings
inarcheil along with their microscopic charge. Its mother,
who happened to be on foot, met the ludicrous procession, and
was so struck by its absurdity that she confessed afterwards to
having disowned her own baby •
The dress of the jamjKmem is a fertile subject for invention,
as every lady devises her own livery, and a very diflicult matter
it is to produce suflicient variety. TTie men come to you as
coolies with a minimum of raiment, and must straiglitway be
clothed in a thick woollen blouse, trousers, and head gear.
Tlmt of the vmle is of a pattern peculiar to itself The great
question is how to vary the combinations of black, blue, green,
yellow, scarlet, and so forth. Comnionjdace mortals, who only
look for use and wear, generally adopt black, with scarlet or
yellow facings; but some tasteful ladies invent all sorts of
varieties. The I-ady Sahib (that is, the wife of the Governor-
General) has an exclusive right to ]»ure scarlet. In fact, all the
Government servants don this royal colour; those who wait at
table having the royal arms wrought on their breasts in gold
and colours — and a very line race of “ buffetiers” they are — ns
gorgeous as the so-called beef-eaters of old England.
Von cannot imagine what a curious sight it i.s, at any place
of public resort, to .see the emninous multitude of these human
[lonies s/juatting in long rows in charge of their re.sjx/ctive
coffins, and waiting for their master.s. It always amused us
to come quickly out of church to see this motley army rushing
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117
to the door, and trying to get tlie I'oremo.st place in this
desperate charge ; pounce on their inxster or ini.strcs.s, and rush
away again. Suppose that of the twelve hundred Euroi)e:ms
said to he in Simla three hundred were present, not that 1 ever
saw so many, and that of these one hundred were riders, there
would remain aliont two hundred vehicles of all sorts, averaging
si.x bearers each. Thus you would have about twelve hundred
natives scnimbling for the congregation as it “ scaled,’’ even with-
out including the hundred grooms (syces), who run off after their
ina.stei-s, holding on by the hoi-se’s tail. 'I'he confusion, hubbub,
and hustling which ensue are beyond description. Even the
inhabitants of the nearest houses seemed to think it would be
quite infra diij. to walk half or a quarter of a mile to church,
and evidently thought it e.xtraordinary of us to prefer doing so.
The worst of this multitude of bearers is not only the amount
of dust which they rai.se, and the annoyance of their very pre-
sence, but also that, supjrose three girls meet on the Mall, or in
the uanow streets of the actual town, and want a few minutes’
chat, their attendants make a mob of about twenty men, literelly
blocking up the road. It is curious how very rarely anyone
seems to dream of varying the route from the daily routine
row. It .seems as if eveiy man, woman, and child has but one
attmetion — always the same thing — up and down the Mall.
.Should you diverge into any of the bye-j>aths, you may be
j»rett)' certain not to meet a soul, unless, indeed, some jncnic
to the waterfalls or to Annandale has dniwn them from their
usual round.
The former are the most miserable apologies for waterfalls that
were ever seen ; but the rarity of the article lends them value.
The coolies look on this expedition with extreme aversion, ns
well they may, for the little streamlet flows in the deptlis of a
ravine down which you scramble by a jjath of interminable
length and steepness. Hut the favourite gathering point is at
Annandale, likewise a deep valley ; but one which, instead of
being merely a narrow gorge like most of its neighbours, allows
considerable space for locomotion. Hero, too, is a marvellous
rarity, a very gootl garden, where, if you happen to be on the
alert, you may buy a tolemble supply of fruit.
Here you may notice one curious custom of the I’ahari women.
Soothing syrup and such infantile naicotics have not yet been
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
introluced in their nurseries, but the mother, who has a good
day’s work before her, carries her little one to the edge of the
rippling streamlet, and there lays it down on the green bank ; then,
making a hollow reed or bit of bark act as a conduit, she diverts
a tiny rill, which drips from a height of six or eight inches on
the head of thecAo<« Baba, and soothes it into the calmest sleep.
Tlius you may see a row of these little sleeping innocents near
the “ Falls ” at Annandale. One might fancy that the babies
rocked by so strange a water-nurse would surely grow up idiotic,
but all the peojtle declare tliat it is very good for the little ones,
and makes tlicm hardy.
Here, in a corner of the old forest, stands one of tliose little
rough .stone temples, roofed with cedar-wood, and having a certain
amount of rough carving ; such temples as the hill-men love to
build to some forest-god, wherever they find a group of trees of
somewhat larger growth than those around : a graceful creeil,
which reverences these silent forest sanctuaries, as places conse-
crated by nature herself to the mighty unknown Spirit, and so
seems constrained to build some tal^ernacle in His honour.
** A temple, *iieath the pine and diestnut shadi',
A green, and dim, and ancient solitude, where bidden Htream^
Went moaning through the gratis in sounds like drcaiuH,
Music for weary hearts I ”
The most attractive native manufacture at Simla is woihI-
carving; good work and veiy effective. There is no eml to the
variety of tables, chairs, and frames in which you are for ever
tempted to invest. Hut the homeward carriage of such goods is nn
objection which prevents your storing many things that wouhl be
trciisuresin England. In fact, every change of residence in India
involves a complete selling off of your household goods at a most
frightful loss ; while the new kit is never to be purchased under
it.s full value. Someone must profit on the arrangement, Imt 1
fancy Eui-opeans rarely do so. Kcally the exorbitant prices
chalked for all nmiiner of goods in Simla, and the merely nominal
sums which tJiey fetch when sold off a few months later, would
suggest the possibility of furnishing a liouse for nothing, shoidd
you choose to arrive there wlien Government leaves in October,
and sjKUid a regular Hritish winter among the beautiful smnvs
and fir trees, a time which various residents ile.scribed as most
delightful.
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SiHiakin^ of fir tree.s, l»y which I mean the deodar cedar, it is
very curious to notice to how small a growth it attains on
tliese low spurs of the Himalaya-s. Uo a hundred mile.s into
the interior, and explore those glorious forests which no wood-
man’s a.xe ha.s yet j»rofaned, and you will wander on and on
l)ene)ith mighty inonarchs, the very sight of which tills you with
awe and reverence. Trees of from twenty-five to thirty feet in
girth, and jierhaps two hundred feet in height, and gi-owing in
Hat layers preci.sely like the Cedar of Lehanon. It is dilticult to
realize that these are merely the elder l)rethreu of the little
gmceful deodar, as we know it in liritain. And even at Simla
it never e.xcee<ls the size of an average spruce tir. On our return
fi'om the interior Me noticed this fact to some of our friends,
M'ho replied, “ Oh, but you have not seen the big trees at
Annandalc.” Thither m'o accordingly went, and looked in vain
for the big trees. We found that the timber alluded to was a
group about the size of well-gi’oMii silver liiu Ihit ns most
Knglish men, and almost all ladies, who once reach Simla, seem
•piite content never to go any farther, the glories of the primeval
forests must to them remain sesiled books.
It seems as if the mere fact of a refuge from the heat of the
plains was all that could be desired from these beautiful hills ;
in fact, social life here bears much the same relation to that of
Calcutta that Brighton does to London ; it is an atmosphere too
silky and perfume<l to be in kt*eping M ith M ild mountain scenery.
Fancy coming to these uttermost ends of the earth to laj pursued
by latest I’arisian fashions ; satins, velvets, " the newest thing”
in iKinnets, Mhich have just lieen sent direct to the Mearer by
pattern post ! to say nothing of the last thing in white .satin
l>oots, M’ith silver heels !
Xot that I M'ish to deny the charms of Simla society ; nothing
could possibly be pleasanter than many of its social gatherings,
its amateur coucerts, its admirable private theatricals, its bara
nautehes, as the natives call our balls, M here to their amazement
they see ladies and gentlemen dancing for themselves instead of
hiring dancing girls to do it for them. All the.se things in tine
Meather are very charming, and have the additional advantage
of very early houi-s.
But when violent thunderstorms come on, as they are very
apt to do at night, it is not altogether pleasant to be cairried
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120 FROM THE HEBRIDES
along in evening toilette in a downpour of rain, with the leathern
curtains of your flapping about, and utterly refusing to
button ; while the flashing lightning reminds you of a dozen
fearful accidents that have occurred hereabouts. There was
one house very near ours wliich actually would not let, by
reason of the attraction which it seemed to have for Heaven’s
tire ; the lust instance of which was, that as a mother stood
on its verandah, with her baby in her arms, watching the
storm, a sudden flash struck her dead, leaving the little one
untouched.
One evening I especially remember, when there was to be a
great ball at (lovcrnment House; but so appalling a storm came
on that even the enterprise of Simla ladies was defeated, so
that a mere handful of the nearest neighbours were all who
managed to be present. Some who actually started were fairly
blown home again, having had their curtains torn away; while
one lady beheld the whole canopy of her jampan whirled into
mid-air and tossed over the khnd, while she herself was left in
her ball-dress, e.vposed to the pitile.ss rain.
This I call society under dilHculties ; nor is it pleasant, when
you have reached your destination, to know that your unlucky
Ijearers are sitting shivering outside, coughing their very hearts
away. Even if the mate has the wisdom to curl himself up in
your rugs, and keep himself dry in your jampan, after the
manner of the Ijondon “ cabby ” (woe betide him if he is caught
there !), there is no such refuge for his underlings ; nothing for
them but to grin and bear it.
But in fine weather these evening expeditions in our uncovered
datiiiies w'ere quite delightful. The air is so cool and pleasant,
the vivid glow of sunset, and the fleeting twilight as you go
forth, and the brilliant starlight in which you return, are all so
Iteautiful that we could not wish the distances shorter, though
in some cases they were a matter of four or five miles, as we
followed the windings of the paths. The 7na(e generally led the
way, liearing a lantern to guide his men, and the light flashed
sometimes on mas.ses of dark Indian oak, wreathed with Vir-
ginia creeper, or on the glossy' rhododendrons, whose scarlet
blossoms faded all too quickly. Then through the depths of the
dark fir wood floated little dancing, gleaming lights, which at
first we believed to be firetlie.s, but if you catch them you find
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they are beetles, with transparent tails, within whieh, just as in
a real lamp, glows the pale.st green light.
More wonderful than these fairy fire-bearers, bccau.se so much
less widely known, are some of the luminous grasses and other
plants found in parts of the Himalayas. Some years ago n
report reached Simla that the grassy hills round Syrec, on
the old road, were every night illuminated with a strange, pallid
fire, which gleamed with a tremulous spirit-light. On inquiry,
this was found to emanate from a grass, called by the Brahmins
jyotimnati} and common at Almorah and various other places
in the hills. It was only observed -during the rains ; nor was it
the property of every root, only perhaps of one in a hundred.
Nevertheless it was sufticieutly powerful to make the whole
grass seem to glow heie and there with a blaze of phosphoric
light. Another plant ® is also found in these mountains, which
is reverenced by the tire-worshipping people, sis “a bush burning
yet not consumed." Its light has been proved to j)roceed from
a volatile oil, which at times evaporates to such an e.xtent
that on bringing a lighted match close to it the plant will
be enveloped in a transient flame, and yet will be in nowise
injured.
There are various other in.stances known of these luminous
plants. We hear of a beautiful phosphorescent fungus which
grows abundantly on the dwarf palms of Brazil, as also in
Australia, and which emits a pale-green light, so vivid that a
few sj)ecimens brought into a dark room will give sufficient
light to read by. Australia also produces a luminous moss,
which gleams like a nest of glow-worms from the dark recesses
of the n>cks. We were also told that some of the timber, floated
down from Thibet by the Ca.shmerc rivers, has the .same pro-
perty, which, however, it loses when dry. The root of certain
orchids likewise shines while moi.st, and though quite lustreless
when dry, renews its light as often as it is thoroughly saturated.
These are a few of the lamps dear to the fairies, which mortal
eyes are sometimes privileged to behold.
The church of Sinda is the central point at which all di-
verging lines seem to meet. Here for once mosques and temples
have retired into the background. Christianity holds a promi-
nent place, being represented by a rather large, ugly church,
* AnthisUria aiwrJh^'nt, * Dictamnus F/rtxiUfh,
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
overlooking the native town and the bazaars. Tlieso are perched
on termce.s down the face of the hill. The backs of these native
honse.s are decidedl}’ i)icturesque, being several storeys high,
and having verandahs and balconies of coloured wood, and a
certain amount of window gardening, with tall Indian corn and
similar grain. This is a place where no Europeans ever dream
of going, but my sketching proj>ensities drew me thither, and the
Hat roof of a cottage made a capital studio. The novelty of the
proceeding proved too much for the curiosity of the inmates of
the upper windows, who, after peeping cautiously forth for
some time, and making quite sure that there were no ilangerous
white men in the neighbourliood, crept down to my side. Such
courage proved infectious, and I had on that occasion more
glimpses of briglit eyes and rich jewels than have often fallen to
niy lot.
Tiie hill on which the church stands rejoices in the name of
Jukko. One might imagine it had been so named in honour of
the monkeys; for certainly they are legion, both the common
brown ones, which come careering all over the houses, and the
great big grey ones, with black face and paws, and fringe of
white hair round the forehead. I am told they are sometimes
five feet high, but I should imagine four feet was nearer the
average. They also come close to the houses in troops, and
scamper about all over the tall trees, .swinging themselves from
branch to branch, leaping from tree to tree, and jilaying all
manner of antics; sometimes springing suddenly across the
road, to the great alarm of the horses, and no small danger of
the riders, considering the nature of the road.s. It was too
ridiculous sometimes to see the e.xceeding gravity with which
they would sit among the great scarlet blo,“,soms of the rhodo-
dendrons, and stare at us. Sometimes an old grandmother
would come with a w'ee baby in her arms, and ]>lay all sorts of
games with it, giving it a swing on her tail, and playing hide
ajid seek among the glossy green leaves, in contrast with w Inch
these monkeys look almost pure white.
• )iie day a great, big, brown fellow came so close to the house,
ami behaved so boldly, that the servants suiTounded and cap-
tured him ; a pioceeding to which he showed so little objection
that we suspected him of having e.scaj)ed from some j)revious
master. We tletained him for some days, in Ciise his owner
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should claim liim, but as uo one came forward, he was eventually
presented to the artillery at Jittog, where he quickly signalized
himself by treacherously pulling out handfuls of hair from the
head of an unwary gunner.
From the extreme steepness of the densely-wooded banks, it
follows that in many of the bungalow.s the tree tops are literally
on a level with the balconies, and their branches actually sweep
the windows, thus aH'ording famous cover for the monkeys,
should it plea.se them to enter and help themselves to any
tempting fooil, or other object. They did not favour us with
any such visits, but some of our neighbours were less fortun.ate.
None, however, sulfered so seriously as Ljidy Harker, who has
so charmingly descrilxal the fate of her first dinner-iiarty at
Simla. Being anxious to have an unusually ]>retty fable, she
had herself expended much care and trouble in its adornment
d la Ruase; and having just received from Europe certain dainty
china figures ami ornamental dishe.s, she had arranged such a
show of sweetmeats, flowers, and fruit as should have filled
all behohlers with admiration. When dressing-time came, she
charged her servants on no account to leave the room till her
return ; but hanlly was her back turned, when the temptations of
hubble-bubble prevailed, and they slipperl out for a quiet smoke,
quite forgetting the open window, and the great tree just outside,
where sat certain watchful monkeys vastly iiitereste<l in the
pmceedings. .Judge of the feelings of the hostess when, coming
down to receive her guests, she just looked into the dining-room
to make sure that her work was perfect, and there found a bu.sy
company of monkeys hard at work, grinning and jabbering,
their cheeks and arms crammed with expensive sweetmeats,
while the table presented a .scene of fiigiitfnl deviistation —
broken glass and china, fair linen soiled — eveiythiug tossed
about in hopeless confusion ! From this wreck she had to turn
aside, and try to look pleasant and quite at ease while enter-
taining the hungry guests, who had to wait patiently till
something like order could be restored, and a dinner served,
shorn of all frivolous adornment.s. Nor was this her only
quarrel with her troublesome neighlMiurs. She tells us how
her favourite little terrier had conceived a violent antipathy
to the whole race, and never lost a chance of barkin'' at them,
and frightening them off the premi.ses. The monkeys waited
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
their lime, and at last had their revenge. One day, as little
Fury was accompanying his mistress through a dark thicket of
rhododendrons, she saw a skinny arm suddenly dart out from
amid the scarlet blossoms, and (juick as thought the jK>or little
terrier was seized by his long, silky hair, and in a second liad
disappeared in the thicket. Vain were all attempts at rescue ;
vainly and piteously the poor doggie yelped and howled, while a
shaking of the braiiche.s, and a sound of scuttling, were all that
betrayed his unwilling ascent to the top of a high tree, where a
monkey jury had assembleil to try the criminal. Once there, his
unhapi>y mistre.ss Ifheld her little favourite passed from one to
another, that e.acli in turn might have the satisfaction of pinching
and tweaking, and pulling out his hair till his jiarticular grudge
was revenged. Then, when all were tired of this amusement,
they took him to the extreme end of a branch, and droppeil him
far down the precipitous khad. And so ended poor Fury’s feud
with the monkeys I
We were sufficiently unsociable to consider ourselves very
fortunate in the situation of our house, “ l!aby Lodge,” whicli
stands on Jakko, ju.st above the Mall, ami about one mile on the
unfashionable side of the church — a sort of “ back of beyond,”
where we could reach “ the world ” on the shortest notice, but
were virtually beyond its pale, and, to all intents and puqioscs
sole monarchs of the l>eautifully -wooded hill that r<ise some
five hundred feet above the house, with lovely paths in every
direction, where we might wander all day in the cool delicious
shade, and never meet a, living soul. Partly l>ecause, as I before
said, everyone is wedded to the Mall, and partly because the
custom of the plains is kept up — except to make full-dress
morning calls Itetween twelve and two, no one goes out for
pleasure till dusk.
This to a new-comer is incom]>rehensibIe, the climate being
in every way suggestive only of the most heavenly summer
weather at home. There is, however, no doubt that experierrce
has taught her own kcssons, and that there is too good reason
to beware of lurking treachery even with the.se sweet breezes.
For the delicious fi-eshness of the atmosphere at these high levels
is no warrant for forgetting that you are still beneath a troi)ical
sun, and by no means beyond the danger of its vertical lays.
A]il as we are to think precaution no longer necessary in these
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cool liills, tlie fact remains the same, ami the risk of sunstroke
is not less here than in the plaims. Even when the sky is veiled
hy soft grey clouds, the natives warn yon that the danger is just
as great, in fact they sa}' greater; and they have some curious
proverbs which compare the sun unveiled to a mosquito, and the
cloiuled sun to a scorpion.
One remarkable health statistic is the nund>er of ca.ses of liver
complaint develojied in iieople of avemge sickly Indian health
on first arriving in the hills, where every breath of keen ex-
hilarating air would seem to he laden with new life. That
blessed air is itself the cause of the mischief, for the lauguhl
frame feels suddenly invigorated, and a delightful, almost for-
gotten, sensation of hunger entices the new-comer to eat so
voraciously that the enfeebled internal machinery is unable to
cope with such unwonted labour, and too often gives way just
when its luckle.ss owner imagines he has found an atmospheric
elixir.
The hou.se next to our plea.sant home is known as the Priory,
and is that wherein Dr. lJussell, of I'be Times, wiled away the
weary hours of convalescence with all his ]iets — his menagerie, I
might say — his young hill bears, monkeys, mountiiin rams,
costurah (or hill thrush), green parrots, chickore (hill partridge),
ninety-six aberdavats, &c., &c., besides sundry hill minus or
blackbirds, which are the favourite cage-birds in these parts,
though not always agreeable companions, inasmuch as they can
at their own sweet will vary their notes from a sound like the
most musical lieUs to the very harshest croak.
This hill of Jakko, on which we were now perched, is, 1 think,
a perfect Paradise for a home. It is clothed from btrse to sum-
mit with the richest mixed timber, chiefly the Indian oak, with
a holly-like leaf, and the dark glos.sy green of the rhododendron
trees, with their gorgeous masses of blos.som, the most vivid
scarlet, shaded with deep crimson. The only thing to be re-
gretted is that their glory is so short-lived. Early in May
they are on the wane, and by the end of the month a few
withered Idossoms are all that remain to tell of their bright,
short lives.
But when first they begin to flutter down in the breeze, they
fall like a shower of fire, and alight on the richest carpet of
maiden-hair fern, and blue dog-violets, which everywhere clothe
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1-Jrt
these lianffuij' wocxls, so that you can scarcely set your foot on
the earth without crushing a tuft of such treasuivs as would
enchant tlie heart of an English gardener.
And now just imagine the loveliness of such glimp.ses of the
snows as you fimn time to time catch when you look down
some lioep ravine, clothed on either siile with the.se dark trees
and flaming blossoms ; down, down, down, over wave after wave
of billowy foliage, till all form is lost in the depths of Hue haze
far ImjIow. Tl.cn as your eye once more rises fn>m the gloom,
it rests on a grouj) of dazzling snow-j>eak8, no longer dwarfe<i
hy their own multitude, inasmuch as what you now see is a
mere fragment of that unbroken line which stretches right across
the horizon, and which seems to lose itself in the wonderful
blue of the heavens.
Anything more dazzling than that marvellous scarlet, blue
and white, with the intensely ilark foliage to give tone to the
whole, you cannot imagine. And sometimes l)ame Nature
seems to crave more and more colour, and needs but the fainte.st
])retext of mist or shower to bridge the deej> valley with vivid
rainbow lights (constantly a double arch), which seem like a
softenenl dreamy reflection of that more lasting prism which she
has set here for our enchantment, and which will remain un-
changed for weeks together.
This was the vision of loveliness that met us at every turn
from that beautiful hill-side ; and from our own verandah we
looked down over the rich masses of foliage into what seemed
unmeiisurable dejith, and past the endless ranges of hills to
the long, uidirokeu line of eternal snow. If we had had our
pick of all Simla we could not have selected a more perfect
spot than that on which the hou.se was placed ; nor a more
delicious sitting r<»m than the broad upper balcony, which, e.v-
tending round three sides of the house, commanded the view
from every corner, including such glimpses of “the Mall” just
lielow, as gave human interest to the whole. A lounge so
delightful, tempted us to linger there for many a jdeasant hour
rather than explore more ilistant scenes.
Ijong before daybreak I was generally at my ))ost, for then
each pinnacle of the distant hills stood out in clear, pale blue
against the welling light that foreruns the day. Ihit when the
first kiss of the rising sun had transformed that steely blue into
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a sea of ylittcriiij' ice-peaks, then softgrej’ cloiuls rose up to meet
the dawn, and all the di-stauce was veiled for awhile.
AVith daybreak came the invariable tap at the nunsery window,
and there stood the old t/wala (cow-uian), with a great bowl of
sweet new milk for the little ones; and then came chof<t
haziri, the little breakfast on the balcony, and al'terwards a
delightful scramble knee-deep in maiden-hair fern, beneath the
scarlet rhododendrons, where the white monkeys were playing
their antics, and sometimes pelted ns with blossoms.
Of course in the evening light the colouring was all reversed.
As the sun sank, it made the great hills lliug their broad cool
shadows athwart the deep valley, and the pure white snows
were flushed with delicate rose light and tender lilac shadows,
while the sky l»eyoud was tinted with faint sea-green. Ten
minutes later, it was the sky that was flushed rosy rod, and the
snow-peaks had changed to a ghastly grey’.
This Wits the colouring that we saw again and again without
any very remarkable eflect of sky ; nothing, at least, that
difl'ered much from the loveliness of our own mornings and
evenings in Scotland, and I am more and more convinced that
the people who speak so enthusiastically of eastern atmospheric
effects are those who habitually oversleep themselves when in
llritain, and prefer their book or their dinner to watching a
sunset ! Even in “ the rains,” in the month of September, we
only saw about four sunsets which, 1 could hoiie.stly say, ex-
ceeded many of those on our northern shores.
One indeed there was, the glory of which did stirpass mv
wildest dreams of possibility. The rain had been pouring all
day ; pouring as it only can pour in the tropics and in Skye.
In the evening, however, it cleared, and we were sitting in our
beloved balcony watching the black tree-tops appearing like
spirits from among the clouds of white mist which floated in the
valley far below. As the sun set, it seemed as though the mist
had suddeuly taken tire ; it rolled towards us nipully like a sea
of flame. Every white vapour seemed changed to a thousand
tongues of liquid fire. You could hardly think it possible that
it was uot in truth the di-ead consumer, ^^■e watched its pro-
gress breathlessly. Literally we could not stir ; for it seemed
us though indeed the “ llmth ” of the old Highlanders had come,
and that the earth was now in truth to be purified by fire from
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IJS FROM THE HEBRIDES
Heaven. Still it rolled on and on. The whole valley was fidl
of fire, for ever floating and curling upward, and writhing with
unquiet motion. The wooded banks on every side of us, and
the great, dark trees glowed like a sheet of molten iron. You
felt convinced that had you touched them they must have burnt
your hand. Even the brown faces of the awestruck natives
shone ruddy-red. Where the fire could not reach the mists
because of the broad shadow of the hills, they seemed all illu-
minated with weinl blue-lights, and these were reflected on the
deep grassy khads that lay in the same shadow, so that they
shone like intensely emerald velvet. And in the far, far distance
the same spectral light gleamed on the eternal snows. A few
moments later the fiery glory faded away, and was succeeded by
a wan and pallid light which shed an ashen hue on the cold
grey hills, and a death-like repose overspread the land.
Can you wonder that we loved to linger in a balcony from
which such sights were possible ?
Sometimes colour came to us in a more tangible form ; for our
friends, the Delhi shawl merchants, followed the stream of trade,
and brought vast stores of their beautiful goods to tempt
the English at Simla. So, often we would look up suddenly,
conscious of some human presence, which had approached un-
heard, for the natives all leave their 8lii>pers outside the
verandah, and their bare feet glide silently up the stairs. There
perhaps stood a figure in spotless white, making his lowly
salaam, and followed by two or three coolies with huge bundles
on their heads. In a few moments the balcony from end tc end
was strewn with the mo.st exquisite raiment of needlework that
human hands ever wrought, all the work of hands masculine —
just imagine their patience I There were piled the most gorgeous
hangings, shawls, cloaks, cushions, materials of dazzling hue,
half hidden by the richness of gohl and silver, and silken em-
broidery of ever}' colour, and in every pattern that art could
devise ; such hangings and such drapery as might carry a dream
of oriental grace, and harmony of rich colours into the pate
greys of our murky, western rnist.s.
Sometimes our tempters were traders from Kashmere, whose
goods were all of softest wool materials, and quiet Quaker greys
and browns, embroidered with darker shades of the same.
The wool of which they are made is n silky hair peculiar to the
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
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goats of Kaslimere, each of which yield about three ounces at a
time. It requires ten fleeces to make one average shawl. We
were told that si.xteen thousand looms were employed in Kash-
mere, each giving employment to about four men, whose joint
work produces two shawls a year. I fancy that must refer to
the shawls of many colours, as these delicious browns and greys
are not suggestive of so much labour even though they are all
richly embroidered. It is a strange e.xample of the manner in
which nation acts upon nation, to hear that the first effect of
the blockade of Paris should have been to throw forty thousand
of the shawl- weavers in far Kaslimere out of work.
With regard to Indian silks we were told that all the best
raw silk is brought from P>okhara; the finest quality of all
being described by the natives as “ Hathee Singal,” strong
enough to bind an elephant, and being consequently ultra-
durable. It is chiefly manufactured at Lahore, not in one great
factory, but in private houses, wheie all the men of a family
work together in small, confined rooms, labouring in dark, dingy,
stuffy holes, to jiroduce these delicate tissues. No women are
employed, as with the hand-loom workers of Britain, but a
vast multitude of men find work as weavers, twister’s, dyers, and
winders.
The shawl and silk merchants were by no means the only
tra<lesmen who created a locomotive market for their wares.
Here, as in the plains, sellers of fruit, toys, biscuits, cloth, haber-
dashery, jewellery, skins of birds, screens of peacocks’ feathers,
and nondescript articles of every conceivable sort, were for ever
wandering over the hills in search of customers at the most
remote bungalows, perhaps walking miles before effecting the
smallest .sale, and waiting with inconceivable jiatience till it
might suit the inmates to look over the-r wares, all of which must
be carefully packed and unpacked a dozen times a day. One
who w’as generally sure of a welcome carried a great basket of
jams of every sort, from strawberry and apricot, down to
rhododendron and grass, these being supposed to have a strong
local flavour.
I need scarcely say that only a select few of these itinerant
tradesmen presumed to invade the .sanctity of the upper balcony
— which was in fact our family sitting-room — and one which
certainly found more favour than the comfortable Knglish
VOL It. K
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ICO FROM THE HEBRIDES
drawing-room downstairs. The mere fact of being upstairs
again was such a novelty. In every niche of that verandah was
a nest of the loveliest young swallows. All the morning they
were skimming about in every direction, just as happily as our
own dear little summer guests in the old country, and many a
pleasant vision they recalled. Only when the young binls
liegan to tiy their wings, and sometimes fluttered to the balcony,
they became to us a source of most painful anxiety, as our
educational efforts all failed utterly to teach our little jungle
kitten that young swallows were not fair game. Indeed, she
watched the nests day and night with a true hunter’s eye, which
never quite closed even when she pretended to be asleep, and
many a dainty morstd she contrived to secure. But of all re-
minders of home none gave me such a thrill of pleasure as a
fragrant bri-ath which one day reached me in a for comer of the
hills ; anti soon I scented out a purple bank of wild thyme, with
patches f)f white clover. There was a ruined bungalow near,
and at tir.st I thought some exile had s iwii these seeds for love
of the old home beyond the great waters. But afterwards I
found other patches of the .same sweet flowers, and many more
l»esides. Indeed, the multitude of such reminders of old days
struck me even more than the novelties of India.
This was especially true of liuman beings, for from the first
day we reached the Indian land it seemed as if .some old friend
cropiH-d up at everv' turn, generally the very last person we
should have ilreamt of meeting. Everyone we had ever known
and lost sight of, seemed to have drifted to some part of India, in
gfimt cajiacity, high or low, rich or jKJor. At Jleerut, for instance,
the first amazed voice that greeted me on arriving was tliat of
our own station-master from the far north. Another was a
soldier’s wife, from our own home, and from my sister's Sunday-
school. ’J’hen came a dozen callere, of whom one half were
north-country friends, the other half proved to have been school-
fellows, or “ chums ” of our brothers and nejdiews. On entering
I he church we recognized, lioth in pulpit and reading-desk, faces
long ago familiar to Inverness, and others seemed to multiply as
we looked round. And this is merely an average sample of a
Scotidi colony, and the con.sequent cheery welcome which we
foiiml wherever ve halted.
N(!xt to the wild thyme, the most startling suggestion of
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spring-time ami olden days was the firat song of the cuckoo,
whose clear ringing note was answered by a perfect chorus of
his brethren; no shy, timid warblers shunning the “passing
hoof," hut bold birds, wlio sing out bnively in defiance of all
comers, though the high road just below the hou.se might be
crowded with human beings, equestrians, and ladies “ eating the
air,” as the natives say, when they see them carried out “ for an
airing." More often there are long strings of wild-looking
Pahnris — hill men and women, alike staggering under tremendous
burdens of timber, great wooden planks, which they have pro-
bably carried ten miles at least from the dark pine forest of
Mahasso, or even farther, such as no Englishman would dream
of carrying half a mile.
May day came, all too quickly, and with it came the hill
blackbirds and hill thrushes — bluish birds aliout the size of
our own. Long before daybreak we were astir, to greet “ the
morning gale of spring,” and, in obedience to old habits, to wash
our faces in May dew. But for once. Beltane hud no morning
dew to give us. We sought in vain, but solaced ourselves by
bringing home ferns and wild flowers innumerable, and by
filling every corner of the house with gay scarlet blossoms.
I think, perhaps, the most wonderfid thing about this fair
earth’s loveliness is the way in which its balance is pre.served,
so that no beauty of any one spot can in anywise detract from
the enjoyment of the next, so that each new .scene in the pano-
rama of travel brings its own fresh delight with it, filling with
culm and gladness the heart that allows itself stillness to drink
in these sweet influences.
Enchanting as was this May day among the mountains, I
think the following one lost little by comparison. It found ns
revelling in Kentish cherry and pear and apple orchards, the
whole air fragrant with their gummy perfume, and the country
looking as though a shower of white and {link snow bail fallen,
indeed was still falling, for every gentle breeze shook down
soft showers of blossom into the rich meadow-grass, to the
intense delight of multitudes of white frisking lambs, and of
a few toddling cottage bairns in large white sun-bonnets, who
were wearing daisy-chains, or pelting one another with fragrant
cow.slip balls.
If we turned aside from the orchard.s it was only to linger 1>y
K 2
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
tlie clear purling brook, with its fringe of forget-nic-nots, and
its golden king cups and nmrsli marigolds, overshadowed hy
silvery hecch trees still in the first flush of tlieir delicate spring
green. In the wood lieyoiul, sweet inelick grass and young
ferns crept up through hanks of creamy primroses, and deep
blue hyacinths and orcliids. And from every hush and tree
came the voice of many hiids ; a chorus of song, always in time
and tune, and with a constant undertone of wood-doves cooing
to their mates from their hiding places in the dreamy depths of
the dark yews — tlie most soothing sound in all sweet nature’s
harmonies.
No such soothing note fell on my ear on this May morning
in the Himalayas, although in truth it seemed as if the summer
music of the woods had all awakened. Not only were the
cuckoos calling with the energy horn of a winter’s silence, till
every wooded hill echoed back that dear old .song of home ; hut
the cicada, whose voice had been unheard since we had fled
from it at I’oiiit de dalle, began this morning that sharp metallic
note which, rising simultaneously from under every leaf, and
every ci-evice of l>ark, produces a deafening chorus of whirring
sound, like the hum of countless spinning-wheels.
To some ears this souiul is said to he musical ; the Greeks
descrilied it us “ the nightingale of the nymphs.” To me it was
a jierpetual annoyance, jarring on the ear throughout the day.
One precious hour of stillness 1 might revel in each morning,
while jieering into (hat wonderful range of clear cold peaks
cutting .so sharp against the sky. Then, as the arc of lemon-
coloured light ro.se higher and higher in the blue heaven, 1 knew
my hours of torment were drawing nigh, for the moment the
sun could overlook those snows, and gild the wooded mass on
every side of me, the whole army of noisy insects awoke with
one accord, and continued their ceaseless, monotonous din with-
out one moment s intermission, till he sank again below the
horizon. Then these true courtiei-s of the great day-star were
suddenly silenced, and the eft’ect on the ear was very much like
that of suddenly stopping a roomful of sewing machines.
1 wa.s told that lln!se creatures are a sort of grasshofiper, hut I
could never succeed in catching one. 1 find one sjMJcies de-
scribed lus something like a moth with the most delicate gau;'y
wings, just tinged with green, and Ixidy striped green and
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 133
yellow. Tlieir inu.sical apparatus is said to consist of “ two
membranes tightly stretched, and acted on by jxjwerful muscles;
tlie sound issues from two holes near tlie articulations of the
hind legs." The minstrels wlien caught were by no means
silenced, but “ rattled away as merrily as ever,” even when
prisoners in the human hand.
Tlie one great drawback to most of these liill stations is the
terrible deficiency of water. To us, who consider it a remnant
of barbaYism to built any house without having water laid on,
even to the topmost storey, it is bad enough to know that every
drop requireil for all household purposes must be brought fnim
the well by water-carriers ; this inconvenience, however, is
common to all India, I suppose to all the East. But in these
hills the distances which these poor fellows have to go in .search
of their supplies is something startling, and the bhfestie has
hard work indeed, especially in a country where bathing is a
luxury indulged in perhaps several times a day. Ours was
considered fortunate in having, at first, to go onhj about half a
mile down the khad to fill his water-skin. But iis the sea.son
drew on, the water retired lower and lower, so that he and all
the other blmMies of the neighlKiurhood had to go far down a
deep, rcjcky ravine, and sometimes wait long enough for their
turn at the well. It was no joke to have to clin.b that rugged
footpath a dozen times a ilay, especially with a burden so heavy
as a water-skin, t^ome bh^fsties living far above us on the hill
kept a strong pony to help them. But these little beasts have
an awkward habit of tumbling over the edge of the khml, and
divers horrible accidents occurred while we were there. In the
plains you sometimes see bullocks used for this same work.
Certainly the bheeMifs and dh(Aif.t (laundry-men) have no
easy work in these hills ; and you can scarcely marvel at the
change in the habits of the people, from the wonderful religious
cleanliness of the dwellers in the plain, with their incessant
ceremonial washings both of themselves and of their clothes, to
the exceeding filth of the Paharis or hill-men, who only wash
once a year on one of their holiest festivals ; and who wear the
same thick woollen blouse, plaid, and trousers till they have spun
themselves a new suit, that is, till the first is worn out.
A month at Simla brought us to the end of May, by which
time the glory of the scarlet rhododendrons was departed, and
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
the delight of being iirinned at by white langours and brown
monkeys had lost iU novelty. Moreover the longing for a
nearer view of lh<jse distant hills grew more and more
intense.
It was therefore with infinite delight that I one day found
myself starting on a three months’ tour in the interior, with
C'ajttain and Mrs. Graves, best of fellow-travellers. We had
detemiinwl to follow the Thil>et Kwid as far as the frontier.
(Jur daily march would, we knew, vary from six to twelve miles,
according to the supply of water. In any case a halt involves
sundry difliculties ; chiefly in the supi>ly of next day’s coolies,
and of the servants’ food, wliich they calculate on buying daily
in the little native bazaars.
We were each provided with the smalle.st of tents, about
six feet square, and often could scarcely have found suflicient
level ground to pitch even these, except at the regular camp-
ing spots, wliere previous travellers had levelleil a space for
themselves. A light native ehnrjioij (liedstead), a bundle of
bedding (with w'ateiqjroof cover), a strong carjtet, a large Hat tin
box for drawing materials, a second for raiment and nondescript
treasures, and a large native brass ba.son completed the furniture
of my fascinating little gipsy home. Our jirovisions were packed
as for a imtnstcr picnic, in long native l«skets, called kilters,
stores of all sorts — presen'ed meats, flour, tea, sugar, chocolate,
candles, oil, everything, in short, that a wise housekeeper judged
neces.sary,
A train of aWnit thirty coolies shouldered fill these ti-easure.s.
I'liey are for the most part, lithe, lissome men, whose spare, lanky
frames «in get over the ground apace. They shouldered me into
the bargain — dandie and all. Mrs. Graves, however, l)eing a first-
rate walker, steadfastly refused to he carried, and actually walked
ever}' stej) of the way, occasionally diverging down some fright-
ful native ])ath, or over some tremendous hill top, whence she
returned a few hours later to make me envious by descriptions
of sjiots to me unattainable.
The pay of each coolie is sixpence per diem ; in other word.?,
eight men will work all day to earn the same sum as an English-
man jiays for one great Iwttle of l>eer— -for the bottle which at Cal-
cutta costs you one rupee, has just doubled in price ere it reaches
Simla, not that the consumption of Bass or Allsopp is thereby
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135
one whit diminished. The notion of paying a man sixpence for
his day’s labour strikes the new-comer as being decidedly mean,
as, of course, he has to feed himself and his family. It is, how-
ever, the regular wage of the countr}% and the poor creatures not
only contrive to exist on it, but even lay a-side a fraction as an
offering for their gods. The only objection of the hill-men to
act as coolies is that they are often obliged to neglect their
own fields just when their pre.sence is most required. Their
attendance is, however, compulsory ; that is to say, the head-
man of each village is obligeil to furnish any reasonable numlier
required by travellers. Our regiment of thirty was a’oout the
minimum with which it is possible for a party to travel.
We had also half a dozen servants, namely, a Ichanmman, khit-
matyar, dfiobie, hheaUit, liearer, shikaree, and syce, which being
interpreted, are cook, waiter, laundry-man, water-carrier, valet,
gamekeeper, and groom. The latter proved a most useless
article, and was left half way in charge of his horse, riding being
very undesirable on these dangerous paths, and being the cause
of almost every accident that occurs.
Our first halt was at Mahasso, a very fine forest, diverging
from the regular path, we scrambled down a deep ravine, and
found ourselves in a gloomy valley, with dark hills on every
side, and darker deodars and pine trees overhead. Here a most
pictures(pie fair was lading held. It was a great annual gathering
of all the wild hill trills : uncouth-looking creatures from every
jiart of the country, with very handsome women. Some of them
fair; one or two with blue eyes. Several of them were lovely.
They aie not shy like the women of the phiin.s, and never dream
of veiling their faces ; on the contrary, they look at you with a
bright pleasant smile, and would be quite ready for a chat, if
only you could understand them. l>ut for the very exceptional
blue eyes, all, as a rule, have the same large, soft, Ix^autiful
brown eyes, with long, silky lashes, and the soft, rich colouring
of the Spanish brunette, rather inclining to olive. Their expres-
sion, when in repose, often inclines to melancholy, but brightens
into the utmo.st animation when speaking.
Their walk, too, is singularly graceful, being full of that
natural ease which strikes us so forcibly among our own
Highlanders. Only, curiously enough, whereas, iu our Scotch
Highlands, it is the men who own the light foot and distin-
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guished bearinj; ; here it is all absorbed by the women, who
look almost like creatures of some other race from their hus-
bands and brothers.
On such a j'ala day as tliis they are loaded with every jewel
they can command. Very rich silver ornaments are worn so
as to fall all i-onnd the face, besides the usual large ear and
nose rings; to say nothing of an occasional large timiuoise set
in one side of the nose. Sometimes the hair is i)Iaited in a
multitude of little braids, in wliich are twisted silver chains,
and these are twined into one thick tress at the back. Then,
on arms and ankles, are worn sucli a profusion of armlets and
bangles as are oppressive even to behold.
The weight of these ornaments would literally weigh down
any European woman. Ears and nose, though decked with
multitudes of rings of all sizes, certainly carry little weight ;
but the necklaces of glass or stone which are worn, together
with heavy brass chains, the large brass brooch, the heavy
anklets of .solid bell-metal, elaborately wrought, and six or
eight bracelets on each arm, as well as those worn on the wrist,
make up a serious amount of metal. The average weight thus
carried by the women of the hill tribes is fully twelve pounds;
while the ornaments of a damsel in full-dress sometimes weigh
upwards of thirty pounds. Nevertheless she carries them grace-
fully, in addition to the weight of her heavy woollen skirt and
plaid, and is ready for an extra bunlen if necessary. Thus
equipped, she will walk for miles over hill tracks that would
make you shudder; and on reaching the rendezvous at some
hill temple, is ready to dance all night by moonlight and
torchlight, and return to her field-work next day.
At this fair we still saw a sprinkling of the dress of the plains.
Otherwise I might say that at Simla we had bidden adieu to
turbans and white drapery, and to veiled women clad in
“■ breeks.” The dress of the Paharis, though varying somewhat
in diflerent districts, is very similar to that of the Ix)wland Scot.
All the men are dressed alike in a warm blou.se and trousers
of grey home-spun, with a similar plaid over the shoulders.
They carry a rope round the waist ready for emergencies, to tie
tip bundles, or whatever else may be required. They also carry
a hatchet, a small skin pouch for tobacco, a net bag, containing
two or three coarse chaj>nttus, their day’s food, and an amulet
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137
■worn round the neck. Their cap is of thick woollen material,
not very unlike a Scotch bonnet.
The women are dre.s.sed in bright, striped, woollen material ; a
long petticoat and plaid, sometimes in one piece, like the old
Scotch dre.ss. This is caught in a heavy fold at the back (c»
po7iier), and, leaving one shoulder bare, di.splays a very shapely
arm, with quaint bracelets. These oriiatnents are sometimes of
great value ; but the very poorest girl fastens her plaids with a
large bra.ss brooch of precisely the old Celtic pattern, though
with an Oriental audition of a curly wing pattern.
It is curious that the Celts of Scotland, the Khabyles of Algeria,
and these Paharis of the far East, should fasten the identical
striped woollen raiment with the same very j>eculiar brooch.
All these hill-women wear a round woollen cap just like that
of the men, but sometimes with a scarlet top. At the back of the
head they have a great chignon of scarlet wool, with long plaits
of black wool. Both men and women almost invariably wear a
bunch of natural flowers in their hats, generally a tuft of sweet
yellow roses.
These fairs are generally held in some spot where the forest
is held sacred, and where a small cedar temple contains an image
of some hill-god who presides at the festivities. There were
many little booths for the sale of divers trea.sures, and we looked
about for something in which we might invest as " fairins,” but
found that a large picnic party from Simla had already swept
away everything that was in the least curious.
One of the chief amusements was highly suggestive of Green-
vich — namely, the presence of a number of "merry-go-rounds,”
in which these wild-looking Paharis whirled round and round
with infinite delight. The whole scene reminded us forcibly of
the pictures of Xorwegian festivals. The various pine tree.s here
are all more or less like gigantic spruce firs ; upright as masts,
and festooned to the topmost boughs with graceful Virginia
creeper or large white clematis. We felt that at last we had
reaclied something worthy of the name of forest. Not that
Mahasso can show any of the m.-ignificcnt twisted and gnarled
deodars which we find farther up the country, but finer speci-
mens of the morinda and rye pine could hardly be found, some
of them towering a hundred and fifty, or two hundred feet
without a bend.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
In the two marches beyond Mahasso — namely, to Theog and 1
Muttiana — there is little to tempt an artist's pencil. On c%’ery I
side lie somewhat shapeless hills, which in this spring-time are |
all of one dull, red earth, though a little later they will be clothed I
with vivid, green-like, velvet dnnM?ry'. flere, too, as we noticed 1
below Simla, although the depth of the khaik is very great, and ‘
the slope so rapid that you can scarcely find footing when once j
off the beaten path, they have none of the beauty of rock or I
precipice, and the long interminable lines in continuous sweep, j
nowhere relieved by streamlet or lake, become very wearisome
to the eye.
Moreover every’ hill facing the south is utterly barren, and
when our route lay along these, the dreary expanse of red earth
was truly hideous. On the other hand, a.s we turned to face
the north and west, we found ourselves surrounded with a wealth '
of vegetation that made amends for the bleaker side; a stunted,
lilac acacia clothing the whole khail so thickly as to give the ;
appearance of heather, while masses of very sweet roses — red, '
pink, white, and yellow — covered every tree with their long
graceful clusters, growing in such profusion as you can hardly
imagine. They clamljer to the topmost Ixrughs of the tall trees,
and thence droop in long graceful sprays, every sjiray V>earing ^
perhaps thirty branches, each laden with blossom. The yellow i
rose is especially fragrant, ami the hill la<ls, who love wild
flowers, will climb fur down the steepest bank to secure a bunch
of them. As 1 before said, almo.st every hill-man you meet
wears a bunch of flowers in his cap. Besides the roses, there is
a perfect we.alth of the large white clematis, and sweet white
jessamine, which scents the whole air. All these grow in the
densest luxuriance, actually straggling for space, though, the
moment you turn the hill, facing southward, y'ou find the .same
dreary, barren, red earth, which at best will only contrive, after
the rains, to clothe itself with short grass. I can never forget the
delight with which for the first time I recognized the scent of
that dear white jessamine, which in one second carried me far
away from Himalayan crags, back to the old porch at home, and
conjured up one pleasant picture after another of the merry
groups that have gathered there in bygone days, twining wreaths
of its fragrant stars. In another moment I had found the
beautiful shrab, and robbed it of some of its wealth of blossoms
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139
as much for the sake of “Auhl laiig syue,” as for present en-
joymeut.
One spot was pointed out to us as the scene of one of those
feai-ful accidents which bring the dangers of these hills so vividly
before us. It was the usual story of a startled horse, growing
restive, and backing over the khad ; backing the more resolutely
as the terrified groom strove to lead him forward, till with one
frightful backward jdunge, the horse and his rider, a lady, dis-
appeared over the precipice.
Our fourth day’s march, from MiiUiaiia to Narkunda, was
very beautiful, lying partly through a rocky gorge, and through
picturesque wood. At this point I think the real beauty
ccntre.s. Hence we had perha]js the very grandest general view
of the snows, stilt stretching right across the horizon, but appa-
rently immeasurably higher than when seen from Simla, in fact
floating sometimes far above the clouds. On one side of us lay
the dark forest of Hatto, running right up to the sky, and in the
cultivated valley, far below us, lay the Christian Mi.ssion Station
of Kotghar.
We would fain have encamped in the forest itself, but the
usual thing, lack of water, prevented us. The only spring had
been dried up by the long drought, and when we wanted a
drink we foupd only hard, dry mud. We had therefore to be con-
tent with spending a long day there. We clambered up through
beautiful forest scenery, grand old silver firs ami all manner of
pines clothing the steepest hill-sides. On reaching a very high •
point, in the heart of the forest, we suddenly came on what 1
have seen nowhere else in the Himalayas, a long green glade,
like an English meadow, embosomed in grand timber, and com-
manding an exquisite view of the snows for hundreds of miles.
The grass was enamelled with blue and white anemones like
those in our ganlens, and cai-])eted with the usual wealth of
maiden-hair fern, while beautiful creepers festooned the trees.
It is heartrending, however, to see how this splendid forest
suflers from the carelessness of the I’aharis, who are for ever
kindling fires to cook their food or light their pipes, and the fire
smoulders on till one after another of the.se grand old giants
fulls a victim, and at last the blackened remains fall with a
crash, and then kindly creepers twine green wreaths above the
poor charred remains of the forest kings. I confess we followed
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
the vile ways of other men, and let our coolies light a fire in a
great hollow tree, not that they asked our leave, for after all we
were only visitors, while they were doing tlie honours of their
home. So they lighted their fire a-s they had been accustomed
to do all their lives, and in a few minutes tlie flames ru.shed up
to the very top of the tree in a fiery, led pillar. Tlie old trunk
seemed, however, to be so well accustomed to acting chimney,
that it was flourishing in full leaf, notwithstanding many pre-
vious experiences, so we hope it was none the worse for our
misdeeds. Then we co(.)ked our potatoes in the wood-ashes,
and enjoyed them vastly.
Nevertheless we entered our protest against such vandalism,
as we came on one magnificent tree after another, such as in
England would be accounted beyond all price, even as timber,
now reduced to scorched, ghostly skeletons, standing up ghastly
against the sky, with outstretched arms like Gustave Bore’s
spirit trees. The mighty mouarchs had stood their gvound
bravely, and would not yield even in death, though their leafy
crowns had fallen, and wintry storms and summer suns had
bleached their upper branches, and, though the soil around
their burnt and blackened stems was but a heap of wood-ashes
and charcoal, relics of their own departed glory.
Others there were (like that wherein the coolies had kindled
our gipsy lowe), who.se huge stems had been gradually
hollowed by fire till they were merely shells, and you marvelled
- how they could uphold the lofty branche.s— these, in their turn,
sustaining the weight of green creepers, which seemed as though
they would lovingly strive to veil the unsightly ruin wrought
by the fire-spirits. In truth they grew all the more luxuriantly
on account of the thick layers of charcoal and wocal-ash.
Here and there some poor old tree had been fairly worsted in
the unequal fray. Fire, storm, and tempest had done their
worst, and at last he had succumbed after many a hard-fought
battle, and now the scarred timbers lay rotting on the ground,
wliich was strewn in every direction with half-burnt logs, in all
stages of decay.
1 need scarcely add that this is not a British state, but belongs
to a small Kajah. It is under British protection, however, and
the damage would be prevented if possible, but the careless
Buharis are many, and the white men few. In any case they
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are slow to learn tlie value of timber, and even in cnttiii" up
j'laiul cedar trees for their own use, they make such clumsy
work from the fact of having no saws, only hatchets, that they
can hardly get half-a-dozen good planks, where an English
carjHMiter would get fifty. Luckily the wood splits very readily,
or they would have harder work still. From its fragments they
extract an “ oil of cedar,” which they consider a specific for
various skin diseases. I fancy it is something of the same sort
as that spirit whicli in Scotland is extracted from birch-wood,
and considered so excellent a remedy for rheumatism.
• You must not run away with an impression that Hatto is all
a burnt forest. On the contrary it is even richer and more
l)cauliful than Maha.sso, as you would admit, could you once
look down a vista of dark firs, and over the waves of a sea of
foliage, extending for miles, while here and there some splendid
group of pines sends up its tall tapering spires in dark clusters,
like spectral fingers pointing to the gleaming snow-pinnacles,
whicli, rising from the misty valley, seem to cleave the blue
sky.
The general effect of the forest is a dark evergreen ; yet here
and tliere you find yoursidf beneatli high twining arches of
transparent golden green, where the light fulls through glittering
emerald leaves and nidiant blossoms, as if through the minhow-
windows of some old cathedral. From that calm solitude comes
tlic soft, murmurous cooing of mother wood doves, and frisky
little grey .snuirrels dart along with their young ones, peeping in
and out among the blossoms, one moment in the clear golden
light, the next in the green shadow.
And on every side you hear a low subdued humming of all
the buzzing, busy creafurt'S, whose home and life-work lies
Iretween those rough scales of hark and the .smooth solid hole of
the old trees ; while grasshoppers are chirping and leaping
among the leaves, and doubtless enjoying the warm, mellow
sunshine, just as much as those strange human creatures who
have presumed to invade their sanctuary, and to steal one
glimpse of all that loveliness — such beauty as you know to he
lavished in every untrodden corner of the wide world — the
device of one who “ rejoiceth in His work,” and for whose good
pleasure such fair things arc, and were created.
Of the infinite variety of foliage tl'.rough which we . passed
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
(lay by day, the greater part is very much akin to tliat of
Britain. The different specie-s gn>w in clearly-defined belts at
given altitudes, so that when we had in the course of a long
march ascended so many hills, and descended so many khads as
to liave fairly lost all notion of our height, we could generally
form a pretty good estimate from the character of the shrubs
around us.
Thus, on the very high levels, at about 13,000 feet, you find
common birch, gooselierries, and strawberries — real strawberries,
— not the dusty, tasteless sjjecies which grow lower down.
Below this grows the iieoza, or edible pine (jnnm gerardianus),
a pine with silvery bark, and whose cones are full of long-shaped
nuts, good to eat, which fall out when the cone is half-baked.
At alwut 9,000 feet you find magnificent deodars, which love a
dry rocky soil, and flourish best where they can take root in the
crevices of the granite rock, aud tliere hold their ground for cen-
turies, for they are slow of growth — slow and sure — for their
timber is imperishabla They decrease in .size on lower levels.
At the same height you find wild apricot, on wiiich the mistletoe
grows abundantly, also mulberry trees, and walnuts of two
species- — the common sort, like our own, and another variety, in
which the nut is so encased in an inner coating of wood that it
is almost impossible to extract it. The I’aharis bring quantities
of the good nuts to Simla, where they sell them at absurdly low
prices, in S])itc of the distance they have had to carry them.
At about 8,000 feet you find sycamore, rhododendron, holly, oak,
horse-chestnut, yew, aud various pine.s. At about .5,000 feet are
large cactuses, acacias, oleanders, plantains, and other vegetation
purely tropical.
Among the commonest varieties of pine is the morinda,
which resembles a fine spruce fir with very short branches. It
grows to a height of 120 feet, straight as an arrow, and is some-
times u])wards of twenty feet in circumference at the base. Its
foliage is very dark.
Next comes the rye, which bears much the same general
character, only its branches and needles are longer, and more
pensile — a weeping pine. Its wood is far more perishable than
that of the cedar, and therefore has comparatively little value.
The tall dark spiral forms of the morinda and rye constantly
combine in most eftective groups, all interlaced with the brilliant
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143
Virginia creeper. The clicel pine greatly resembles our common
Scotch tir, and makes excellent, resinous torches.
The kolin is another common pine, growing on the lower
spurs. Of the Himalayan oak there are three varieties, all ever-
green. One of these, the kharso, abounds on the higher leveLs.
It has the great merit of taking kindly to the neglected eastern
and southern slopes of the hills, so that you often see one side
of a hill clothed entirely with this oak, and the other side with
divers pines.
On some of the very high levels the white variety of tree rho-
dodendron is found, as also the crimson species; while the bush
rhododendron, which rarely exceeds eight feet in height, is
found, both white and lilac, at the same level as birch, that is,
just below the snow.
We had been weak enough to imagine that the abundance of
game in these forests would give large variet}' to our commis-
sariat — a notion, the fallacy of which we very soon realized. In
fact, the idea of shooting for the pot soon became a standing
joke, the exlraoixlinary lack of all animal life being among the
most remarkable features of these hills. It was (juite an event
to see even a hill blackbird ; and as to a covey of rhkkore hill
parti idges, it was a thing to be chronicled.
The fact is that these wild creaturcs have such boundle.ss
feeding-grounds that of course they shun the path that is
ever trodden by human foot, albeit only the foot of the goat-like
native, lie, however, is just as likely to carry a gun as the
white man, and is, moreover, a wary shot, for, as he cannot
afford to wa.ste his powder, he generally contrives to shoot his
game sitting. One way and another, these native shiknref^ do
bag a con.siderable amount of game, which they bring to Simla
for sale. Sometime.s, however, they fall into the clutches of the
bears, and get frightfully mutilated. We saw several men whose
faces had been literally torn off, and what remained was without
feature of any .sort — horrible to behold. When 1 bethought me
of my own brother clasjied in that awful embrace, 1 felt thankful
indeed that the gri.sly mother-bear had been content with
crunching his arm, and had spared his face.’
As to bears, we met various gentlemen — .several of whom
were experienced old sportsmen — who had been vainly toiling
* HV/ti J/<M and Wild ftfouts. By Tulonel Oonion Ciiiiiining.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
in pursuit of the creatures, seeking tliem among the ripe apricots
in the valleys, and on the strawberry beds close to the snows,
and the more they sought the more they declared that the thing
was a snare and a delusion — that there was no gjune in the
country ; and indeed it seemed as if they were right, for not one
of the men we met had had any sport worth mentioning, only a
great deal of very hard work.
For you can imagine that toiling up and down these dreadful
kluuls is not exactly like a walk on a Highland moor. Perhaps,
as you pick your steps over the slipjiery short gra.ss and fir
needles, your foot may give one little slide, then woe betide you.
The whole bank seems one polished surface, glittering with fir
needles, and awaj’ you glide over the steejiest, driest, most
slippery grass-slope that ever was created, at an angle all but
precipitous, happy indeed, if you do not go helplessly on, till
you cra.sh down over the crags into darkness and annihilation.
But, ajiart from so horrible a contingency, sport on such
ground is at best a toilsome pleasure — emphatically pleasure
under dillkulties. If you have the luck to shoot a bird it will
certainly fall at some incredible distance below you, where the
chances are you never find it ; or, if it is a wounded creature, it
may crawl up the other side, where you are Iround to follow it.
Sometimes the ravine is so narrow that you can shoot game
on the opposite bank, but it may cost you an hour’s scramble to
reach the place where it lies.
How, under such circumstance.s, you would envy the great
eagles and kites that float so easily about, sailing aemss the
valley with such smooth, gliding motion, (ireat himmergeyers,
and bearded vultures which sometimes measure nine feet from
tip to tip, and keen-eyed falcons are among the biids of prey
that contrive to pick up a living. So we infer that some food
must exist.
Dr. Bussell, in travelling hereabouts, says th.at in the month
of September his party killed an immense number of chickore,
kallidge pheasants, and man’al, and that in Xovember, when the
cover is not so thick, they might have had far Irctter sport. They
were on their way to Bampore by the old road, which is now
impassable. So perhaps the birds take refuge there still. Cer-
tainly in the months of June, July, and August they were
invisible.
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The only exception we heard of in the oeneral chorus of ex-
nsperated sirortsnien wiis in tlie case of Mr. Hnck, a very keen
ornithologist, wlio is so perfectly skilled in imitating the calls
of different rare birds that the deluded victims resiiond, and,
coming clo.se to the beguiling voice, pay the yjenalty of their
curiosity. This chiefly a[)plies to the argns, or horned pheivsant,
wary as his naine.snke of old, but withal so jealous that he can
brook no rival, and atonce resjxnuling to the far-away call, flies
to give battle to the intruder, but finds the odds are hopcle.ssly
to his disadvantage. Besides the argus, there are the kallidge,
or black idicasant, the cheer, or snow yiheasant, ami the minaul
j)heasant.
The latter is a magnificent bird. M'hen you do have the luck
to see him on the wing, he Hashes past you like a rtiy of prismatic
light, a dazzling mass of iridescent metallic green, blue, bronze,
gold, purple, and crimson, changing in every light, and glos.sy as
satin, with a beautiful crest of drooi)ing feathers. The argus is
mon' quaker-like, but beautiful in his neatne.ss. His jilumage
is brown with black and pearly-white spots. The snow pheasant
is rather a dirty-grey biitl. There ought al.so to be sundry
varieties of patridges, snipe, and woodcock, but we hacP little
chance of making ac<piainljince with them either on the wing or
in the larder.
Having spent a delightful day in Hatto forest, we returned
to our tents, which had been pitched near the tnivellers’ bungalow
at Narkanda, 8,(37fj feet above the sea. We had by this lime
Income thoroughly enamoured of our gipsy life, and were daily
more and more enchanted with its freedom. The escayie from
every phase of civilized formality, from all fixed laws of action,
from regular houre, each meal being henceforth a movable feast,
no wearisome seven or eight o’clock dinner to waste two precious
liours, but a merry supper by onr camp-fire whenever we were
ready for it; and then “e;irly to Ited and early to ri.se” — in short,
it was ai» e.scape from the old stereotyped existence, whose
comfortable, commonplace round W'e had run, till it had become
altogether monotonous and humilrum ; and we rejoiced ex-
ceedingly to think that for three whole mouths we could know
nothing of the well-appointed British social life, and its
wearisome sameness ; but that day after day, and week after
week, must slip by in ever-changing scenes, while we wandered
VOL. II. L
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from one beautiful spot to another, snail-like, carrying about
our locomotive homes, or rather not snail-like, making others
lag for us.
So here on this lovely starlit night we found our tent-homes
pitched on a grassy bank ; a blazing camp-fire, Iwth for
warmth and safety, as the leopards are apt to be troublesome
ill tlie dark, and the most comfortable of suppers all reiidy
for us.
And then, an hour later, looking out from the little tent, an
oft-recurring allegory of “ the near and the heavenly horizons ’’
seemed to paint itself on earth and sky, an allegory of enduring
light, veiled by the nearer trilles of the moment. A very com-
mon parable, but one which suggests itself as often as you sit at
night working beside an ojien window. Your work is engrossing,
everything within the rays of your little camp is so distinct,
while without all is thick night.
One breath extinguishes that earth light, and within your
home all is dark. But suddenly the great heaven is lighted by
ten thousand gleaming worlds ; and to-night, as I looked up, not
the stars only were there, for on the far horizon a pale, cold line
of glittering peaks towered above the mist like white spirits at
rest.
And one little glimmering taper close at hand had hidden all
this peaceful loveliness !
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CHAI’TER VI.
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On leaving Xarkanda we likewise lost the general view of the
snowy range. Henceforth our path was to wiml in and out of
valleys, and up and down steep hiUs, whence we could rarely
see more than a few peaks at a time. Of these we often caught
such glimpses as we reached our night’s camping ground, as
promise<l good subjects for the morrow’s sketch. Too often, how-
ever, the morning revealed only a sheet of grt«y va})our, so
blending with the sky that you could scarcely believe it pos-
sible that hills lay hidden behind that filmy veil. There was
nothing for it but to tinish a careful drawing of rocks and trees
and nearer hills, in the faith, rarely disappointed, that sooner
or later a light breeze would stir the clouds. Then like some
spectral vision a great shoulder would reveal itself here, and
a tall peak there, looming fitfully through the mist like phantoms
from the spirit world.
Our route lay through Hatto forest, far below the green glade
where we had spent the previous day. The path lay along a
khad so steep that it sometimes rose and fell almost precipi-
tously alwve and below us, and we had to look far down for the
buses of the grand old pines whose tops seemed to reach up to
heaven. The hill wius here clothed with magnificent silver fir,
also with the morinda and rye pine. The latter occsisionetl an
irresistible confusion in our nutur.d history, rye. meaning mu.stard ;
and certainly these tall “mustard” trees were the “greatest of all
herbs.” I fear, however, they would scarcely have supplie<l our
cruet-stand ! Here, as usual, we noticed that the trees half
burnt away were always the most richly festooned with Virginia
creepers and wild rosas. In the sheltered hollows were clumps
of fine horse-chestnut in full blossom, also a large kind of bird-
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
clierry, and a few scarlet blossoms still liti"ered on tlie rlmdoden-
drons. The ground in jdaccs was blue with larkspur and
covered with ])nuirosc plants ; I also found one delicate lilac
auricula, which carried niy heart straight liome to the old
garden where these fragrant blossoms used to bloom so luxuti-
nntlv long ago.
( )n enieiging from the forest we pivssed by a multitude of tiny,
terraced fields ; some were full of white poppies, shortly to be
converted into opium, that curse of many lands. I had heard
of the l>oppy fields as lieing rainbow fields, purple, yellow, white,
and pink. Tliose we .saw wei-e all jmre white. So fair
a crop as gave no hint of the evil which those pure blossoms
might be made to work, when transformed to that malignant
poison which has done so much to degrade and enervate
myriads. Strange, that Christian Britain should for filthy
lucre’s sake keep u]i this devil’s traffic in the East, while
her own shores are suffering so sorely from the cnr.se of a far
milder form of drunkenne.ss than this, which ere now she has not
scrupled to promote with the sword ! It is a terrible thing in
India to liear the famine cry of the poor, and to know how much
of the richest land, which might grow grain and cotton in abun-
dance, is now devoted to these wTetched poppies. The opium is
drawn from the seed-vessels ; as soon as these are fully formed
an incision is made iu each every evening. By morning a
drop of milky juice has exuded. This is scraped off carefully
and Ixriled, and is thus [uejiared for market.
As a general rule there wiis so little possibility of making any
mistake as to our day’s destination that our little jrarty con-
stantly divided in the morning, sure of meeting again through the
day, or at least of finding the tents at night. Thus 1 was free
to halt four houra at any good sketching point, while my com-
panions went in search of game or explored the forests. Very
often I started with my dandie bearers long before the others
were awake ; a watchful brownie having brought me bread and
chocolate for breakfast, together with a bottle of milk and a
supply of cold meat and bread for the day. So it was very
often evening before we met at our next camping ground to talk
over the adventures of the day as we gathered round the red
wood-fire.
All we knew at starting was that we were to halt at a dis-
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tance of so many coss ; a delifilitfully vague expression. A
eons is supposed to be about a mile and a half, but this, like the
Scotch mile and a bittock, is capable of indefinite expansion.
On this j)articular morning we were bound for Kotghar, and
my companions started first, hoping for a chance of game in the
forest, before the coolies had di.sturbed the ground. In due time
I followed, and my tiandie wallahs very natundly twk the
road to the Mission Station at Kotghar, whither the whole pro-
cession of cotdies followed with tents and baggage. The path
wound down an interminable hill, till we reache<l the level of
tlie river Sutlej, and came to a dak bungsdow. Nothing was,
however, to be heanl of the others. It was evident they had
taken .some other road, ami, as seveial other bungalows were
dotted alHiut the hills, it was very uncertain where they might
lie found. At the dak bungalow I found an Englishman who
had just returneil from the wilds of Kulu. He of course could
give no information.
In this emergency I 1)ethought me of con, suiting the "I’adre,”
and so made for the Mission .Station. I was welcomed by Herr
Hebsch and his family to a pretty home, with a wide verandah full
of flowers, anil covered with trelliswork and vines ; a home with all
the comforts of civilized life, piano, harmonium, pictures. The
very sight of mine host’s kind, lienevolent face seemed a haven of
rest fnim perplexities. In a very few minutes me.ssengers were
despatched to the various sjsits where the wanderers might have
gone, and while we waitetl their return I accepted a cordial
invitation to breakfa-st, and did full justice to the unwonted
luxury of excellent, home-made bread, for it must be confessed
that the never varying chaj>atties very quickly became exceed-
ing di.stastef'ul to us, especially when, as in the early morning,
we had to eat them cold, and our souls loathed the heavy, round
cakes, and recalled the remark once made to us by a Highland
lassie, that it was “so dull eating bad bread ! ’’
On our return two months later, we made along halt near
Kotghar, and had further ojqMirtunitics of proving the kindness
of the.se good friends. Heie thev had lived .seven yeais, and
have a fair handful of native Christians, v horn we saw a-ssembled
for daily nvirning prayer, and were struck by tbeir very superior
look to the tow ca.stes, whence our converts are usually dmwn.
It is, however, a very small proportion of the children trained in
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
the schools who show the slightest tendency to become Chris-
tians in after years; the most that can be hoped is that gra-
dually prejudice may melt away, and that the people may lose
faith in their own superstitions. Already very many are ashamed
openly to call themselves Devil-worshippers, as in fact they
are, but the more unsophisticated still piint out their temples * as
" Sheitan ka Bungalow.” Tlieir faith differs greatly from that of
the Hindu of the plains, in more ways than merely in abstaining
from ablutions, which is the most palfiable difference. They say
there are thirty-three millions of gxls, and that it is quite im-
|K)8sible to worship them all; therefore they omit thegi»d spirits
who will uot harm them, and devote all their energies to propi-
tiate the evil spirits, who are always on the alert to d(j miscliief.
So every here and there along the road you see a sacred bush
covered with strijis.of rag, as votive offerings to the spirit of
stream or forest, and here every passer-by halts to do oliesiance,
or “ make pooja ” as they say.
In a couple of hours tidings were brought of the runaways,
who had Iwen found at a road bungalow at Thandarh, fully three
miles further, where they were impatiently awaiting our arrival.
They had kept to an upper |xith, and had never last level at all.
The tired coolies looked ruefully at their burdens, as they thought
of that weary three miles up a steep hill, and it needed all the
hope of backsheesh to brace them to their work. However they
“ set a stout heart to a stey brae ” with the usual happy result.
My poor dandie Ix’arers gmaned audibly, but, being utterly
unable to walk myself, 1 had to abstain fnun all commi-
seration, rememlxjring another good jiroverb which tells that
” j)ity without relief, is like mustanl without l»eef,” a stimu-
lant^ which it was as well to withhold. I confess 1 often did
feel sorrv’ for these poor fellows, and would fain have lightened
their burden, but I found that the more 1 walked myself the
more they grunted when they resumed work ; so, knowing that
a little fatigue meant only an e.'ctra sleep for them, while it would
certainly mean fever for me, I found it best generally to practise
a judicious selfishness, and to sit still, knowing that when they
were really tired they would dejwsit me, dandie and all, and go
f)ff for a smoke.
They are stout, sturdy little chaps, much the same build as our
* House of n^v*U.
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stronge.st Higlilnmlers, and it take.s a good deal really to fatigue
them, though they would really miss their laugh, at the weight
of the “r^otiMiss Baha” (little Miss Baby), a-s they derisively
called their burden. They are nieri-y enough as a rule, with a
briglit, indeiiendent manner, very different from that of the sub-
dued, obse<|uious Hindu of the plains. It has often l>een
noticed of these latter that, like tlie Scotch Highlandei-s, they
cannot endure “ chaff.” These hill-men, however, .seem to give
and take any amount of it, and are for ever laughing and joking,
and ready to make the best of everything. 1 invariably beard
gentlemen speak in the highest tenns of those who accomjianied
them on their shooting expeditions; no matter what hardships
they encountered, they were always sure of their men.
At last we reached the brow of the hill, where our hungry
companions were waiting, having found shelter from the sun in
a small bungiilow, ali\'e wdth flies. You would imagine that all
the flies that had ever been created as.sembled in the.se road
b\iiigalows for the special annoyance of travellers ; every nook
and crannie, every .shelf, every chair, literally swarms with them.
It wius a glad moment when our tents were pitched and we were
" at home ” once more. There were dark clouds threatening on
every side, as indeed they had been doing for some days ; but
we had learnt to think nothing of a jwssing thunderstorm, which
only adtled grandeur to the hills. A few extra tent-pegs, and a
little wall of earth nmnd the tent, leaving a tiny ditch to caiTV off
rain, made all snug for the night whatever might happen, and we
knew that at this seiisoii we were not likely to be washed away.
How the servants managed to keep themselves alive was a
continual mystery. Even when we cainjajd near a house, the
best they could Iiojkj for was a corner of the oi>en vemndah, and
often they had not even the shelter of a big atone, hut ju.«t lay
lound the tire all through the chilly night. And yet they were
always ready and willing. Xo matter how long and weary a
marcli lliey might have had, the fiivs were kindled and dinner
cooked in le.ss than no time ; and when 1 wanted to make an
unusually early start, at whatever hour of the night 1 might
order breakhist it was certain to be biought to my tent as punc-
tually as clockwork. Just imagine how British servants would
grumlde sliiaild such service and such irregular hours l>e recpiired
of them t
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152 FROM THE HEBRIDES
Our camp to-day was pitclied on the edge of a tea-garden.
Perhaps it would he better to say a tea-plantation. The young
trees were planted in rows, several feet apart, ami at this season
reseiuhled well-grown cabbages. On our return we found them
about three feet high, pruned down to little dumpy slmibs, like
dwarf orange trees. The young leaves are picked olf, and carried
every evening to a factory near, where they are rubbed by hands
till most of their juice is squeezed out; they arc then baked in
large metal cauldrons, after which they are dried in the sun, and
sorteil. It is said that the finer sorts of tea grow best on the
higher levels, but that lower down the leaves are more abundant
and the crop consequently heavier.
The jungly ground lieyond the tea-fields was crini.son and white
with the profusion of wild roses, ami we also found a (]uautity
of most delicious, yellow rasplHjrries, the bt!rry rather like the
avron or cloml-berry of our Scotch mountains. From this jaiint
we looked right up the goige of the Sutlej, of which we could
catch an occasional glimpse in the valley far below. Its deep
roar reached us only us a distant, snlidued murmur, ius it tloiited
up on the bn^eze, tfigethev with the resinous scent of pine needles,
baking in the hot sun. On every side of ns lay richly womled
hills, and beyond the river rose tier above tier of great reddish
mountains, snow-cnpj>ed.
At Kotghar we were supposed to have reache<l the Ultima
Thule of civilization. Beyond this point there is no regular jwst,
and whatever is required must be sent for by coolies, to whotu
you entrust a chit, alias letter, which they carry at the end of a
split stick, just the way that English village children bring you
bunches of sweet violets. Thus your letter is carried for days,
and is at la.st delivered as clean as when it started. We found,
however, that two or three gentlemen, having work farther up the
country, had eshiblished a runner of their own. Consequently
we were never beyonil reach of letters. Moreover, the BuIkk) in
charge of the post-oftic.e proved a most invaluable traveller’s
right hand. Whatever we might reipiire — from live minaul
j)heasants to bring home, down to sacks of potatoes, flour or
sugar, for present consumjrfion — we had only to send word to our
most intelligent friend, who forthwith supplied all our need. So
we went on our way rejoicing, still followed by a huge, jiariah
dog, who had oftered \is the nose of friendship the morning we
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153
left Simla, and liad utterly refused to leave us, ever since, a mark
of affection wliich gratified u.s vastly, thougli, as we discovered
two days later, the curious creature liad merely availed himself
of our escort for safety, as far sis Itanipore, where for rea.sons of
his own he wished to go. At lliimpore tlierefore he bade us
farewell and n;fused to go another step!
Our next marcli was to caiTV us down to Xeritt in tlie
gorge of the Sutlej. It was a frightfully steep descent of five
thousand feet, which brought us back to the tropical vegetation
of the jilains ; to large-leaved ]>lantains and great cactuses in
every crevice of the rocks, while wild caper, suggestive of Ijoiled
mution, draixtl the cliff with its graceful tendrils and silky
blossom, which resembles a white and lilac pa.ssion flower.
Imagine the suddenness of tliis cliange from the English tem-
perature and vegetation wliich we had ijuitted in the afternoon.
AVe tried to shorten the march by a short cut, which ns usual
proved the longe.st way, inasmuch as t!ie track was intolerably
steep. Of course my tlatidie was useless, and the scramble was
one much to be avoided.
The heat in the gorge of the river was so great that it w-as
not considered safe to halt there for many hours. We did not,
therefore, descend till the evening, so that eve we reached the
valley the sun had set, and it was quite dark when we reached
our destination. AVe found our tents pitched near the stream
which roared with deafening noise, and we could just discern a
picturesque village and houses roofed with gi-eat slabs of stone.
By 3 A.M. we were again astir, drinking our chocolate by
the pale starlight, which lent my.steiy to a curious old temple
just below us, overshadowed by plantains, whose broad crpikled
leaves glistened with dewy jewels, and by pink oleanders, and
other flowers too lovely for a Sheitaii ka Bungalow.
To me it was irresistible, and not having yet learnt a whole-
some ilread of Indian heat, I could not but linger long enough
to get a slight sketch of the place. The others jmshed on ; the
1 aggage followed. Only the blue-eyed shikaree stayed to watch
over me, and a very faithful watch-dog he proved on this occa-
sion, for owing to some mistake about the coolies our number
was deficient, and only two could by any means lie procui-ed
for my dmuUe, a liad look-out, as we had fully fom'feen miles’
march la-fore us in really oppressive heat.
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154 FROM THE HEBRIDES
At last, wlien things lx‘gan to look serious, Nanko (for so he
of the blue eyes was called, and, by the way, he was the only
blue-eyed native man I ever saw) contrived to capture two
more, and with promises and threats succeeded in getting them
under weigh. I believe the j)oor wretches were reiilly anxious
about their fields ; certain it is that when we had gone two or
three miles they bolted. This was a pretty fix, for my scramble
of the previous evening had not improved my limited walking
jKjwers, and the men generally relieve guard every few
minutes. However, sometimes walking, sometimes carried, we
got on some distance.
Here I encountered the famous “ Briton of the l)e.«ert," one
whom I knew welt by sight, and knew his wonl was law with
all the.se natives, so I concluded my troubles were over. By
no iiieans. AVe had never been formally intrixluced, so
althougli there was perhaps not another white woman within a
hundred miles, e.xcept Mrs. Graves, who by this time was
near Kamixire, this knight-errant of the Sutlej, although a
Scotchman, quickened his pace to a trot, just as I tried to
screw up the necessary courage to ask his aid, and so we passed
in solemn silence. So there was nothing for it but to struggle
on. At length we reached a village, and then halted by a
spring overshadowed by a great banyan tree, and after
wearisome delays two other men were captured, a very
insuHicient numlwr for so long a march, but there was no
alternative.
For fourteen miles our route lay close to the Sutlej, a most
uninviting stream at this season, svhen, swollen with melted
snow and full of w lute mica and sand, it rushes along in a va.st
mass of flirty, turbid water, great tossing waves of dirty yellow
and white foam, very rapid and horribly noisy. Oh dear!
linw weary we did l>ecome of the roaring of that stream,
when sometimes we could not get away from it all day
long, being hemmed in on either side by great precipitous
cliffs.
But to-day it was all quite new — and this march was certainly
most iK'autiful — here and there we cros.sed small streams clear as
crystal, coming not from the snows, but from their source in the
hartl rocky mountains, far up the lovely little valleys which
opened from this main gorge, sometimes bare, sometimes richly'
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■wooded, while here aud there a waterfall caiue tumbling
over the rocks boiling and hissing, adding its note to the
deafening din, as it fell into the deep dark pool below.
We met one or two men suffering from goilrt — most hideous
deformity — the penalty of drinking ice-water. Undoubtedly in
the e.xceeding heat of these low-lying valleys it must be a sore
temptation Ixjth to bathe and drink of the cool streams, even
though they do come direct from the glacier and are fraught with
such danger. Certainly wherever we came to any little reach
of the river where a quiet back water made such a thing pos-
sible there were sure to be a few bathers, and my little
body-guard went in ami out of the river like a troop of
seals.
At one place we came on a group of black tents of coarse
goats’ hair or camels’ hair canvas, round which were lying a vsnst
number of goats. It was the camp of some traders from far up
the valley, essentially Chinese in countenance, having narrow
oblique eyes aud flattened features. They n ear jackets of coarse
fur or leather ; men and women seem to dress much alike, but
the latter have sometimes coloured petticoats. Their fine black
hair is plaited in countless braids, and apparently never brushed;
but the common head-gear consists of a broad Imnd of cloth, on
which are fastened large turquoises, coins, and lumps of agate;
beatls of common English glass and the mo.st precious gems are
stuck on quite iiromiscuously. These are generally heirlooms,
from which the owners never part.
At another place, as we toiled along through deep, dry sand
close to the river, we glanced up at the face of the cliff, and there
perceived some grass wattling high up. It w!»s a regular home
in the rock, and a large family had here found shelter. Even
the smallest children clambered up and down the most
dangerous-looking ledge as if it were the smoothest pavement.
Imagine what a strange place to call home — among barren,
naked, almost inaccessible crags, with the roaring, rushing
river for ever raging just below. Fancy the utter loneliness
of such a place when wild storms come sweeping down the
gorge, bringing great mas.«es of slaty rock crashing from the
clifls ; and never a living thing comes near save the stately
eagle, soaring against the tempest ! There is something strange,
stern, and solemn in the very thought of such a cradle, where
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15fi
FROM THE HEBRIDES
every influence of mountain gloom and mountain glory must
by turns exert its might on the spirits of these wild children
of nature.
That our course mu.st lie along the Sutlej valley was a
matter not left to our choice, as the only practicable road is that
which has recently been made by the English Government, and
which is still slowly progressing towards Thibet ri& I’ampore,
wliicli is the capital of Hussaliir, and stands on tlte brink of the
liver. Tlie name of this town conveys to the Hindu mind pie-
c isely tlie same idea as Allahabad does to the Mohammedan ; it
is emphatically “ tlie city of God.” liampore is the city of Kama,
whose name is ihe Hindu’s bond of brotherliood over the length
and breadth of the land ; for just as two Molmniniedans invari-
ably greet one another in the name of Allah, so the invariable
salutation of two Hiinlus is simply the cry of Ram, Itam.
One of the largest fairs of the Himalayas is annually held
here, and all the treasures of Thibet, Yarkand, and all those far-
away districts are brought hereto lie exchanged by the merchants
from the plains for such simple products of civilization as may
find use among men who.se requirements are so few.
It wa-s therefore necessary that whatever road was made to the
frontier districts should pass through the city; and as the old
native path was merely a track, winding among diflicult and
diingerous cliffs — sometimes by natural ledges, sometimes over a
bit of plank, bridging some frightful chasm, and often so steep
that no beast of burden larger than a goat could clamber up — it
became a (luestion of very diflicult engineering to make such a
load as that now in use — one at any point of which two laden
mules should be able to pass one another in safety. It was ako
necessary that the road should be constructed lielow the ordinary •
limit of snow, which is estimated at 12,000 feet above the sea
level ; and so it was found that by generally following the
course of the river some of the most overwhelming difficulties
would be avoiiled.
There was formerly, however, another loml of English cou-
struction, with certain advantages of its own, for which we,
travelling only in search of the beautiful, did long exceedingly.
It commanded distant views of far-away snows, and carried you
up into a region of silence ; whereas by this new road you seem
never to e.scape from the noise of the waters, or from the steep
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preciiiitous ulitts wliieh Iiein you in. Thu ('lil ro.iil formerly r.m
from Xiirkandii to Serrthiin.whioh is two marches heyoiid Ihimjiore,
keeping a liigli level the whole way, ami altogether avoidiiig
this dangerous hot valley. Tliere were good link hungalows at
interval.s all along the road. Now there are no travellers’ Imn-
galows beyond Kotghar ; and although, by the courtesy of the
road coinini.ssioners, travellers are allowed to halt at the n)ad
bungalows, tliese are for the mo.st part rough and ready, and
have, of coui'se, no staff of servants. ^loreover, you are always
liable to find them occupied, so you must nece.ssarily carry your
own tent. Since this new road has lajen made to I’ampore the
old one has l«en allowed to full into disrepair, and is now im-
passable ; so whether you like heat or not, you must Inivel up
the goige. As I l>efore .said, this march is very beautiful, and
quite unlike any other from the purely tropical character of its
vegetation, the enormous cactu.ses which everywhere clothe the
rocks, and the silky bl(>ssoms of the wild capers. Neverihele.ss
we were right glad when at length we caught sight of the town
of Itampore, with its juln, or rope bridge, its temples, and all its
quaint hill house.s, with their overhanging upper storeys and
balconies of carveil cedar wood. The foreground was peculiar,
having a great gallows beside the river, where the liajah of
liussahir hangs malefactors.
The Ibijah hinrself is a very contemptible mortal, being a
youth of semi-English iqibringing. His education seems to
have been entrusted to a Baboo, who taught him good English
and the abuse of strong liquor, which he at once demands from
all travellers whom he honours with a call, occasionally iiro-
longing his visit for so many hours that his forcible removal
becomes necessary, (due of his great topics is the subject of
English guns and gun makers ; and every gentleman whom he
visits is invariably requested to sell his favourite lille or his
travelling clock, a negotiation which is generally elosetl by the
fumes of brandy obscuring the princely intellect. His pictur-
esque palace is perched on a rock overhanging the river, and
just opposite is his zenana, the balconies of w hich aie entirely
closed in with carved wood. He generally, however, prefers
living in his summer palace at Serahan, much farther up the
hill.
All the houses in this part of the country are more or less
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158
FROM THE HEBRIDES
alike. A sijuare base of stone acts as gnuiary and stable for
cattle. A staircase outside leads up to an overhanging balcony
which surrounds the wooden dwelling-house. I’erhaps a second
still wider storey is above this. The roof is peaked, and slated
with large slabs of grey shingle or slate, or even of cedar wood.
All the gables are elaborately carved with hanging ornaments of
wood — arabesques, or curious heads.
I was very anxious to buy some of the brightly-striped
woollen material which most of the women herealxmts wear,
and for which this town is noted. It seemed, however, to be
only forthcoming at the time of the great fair, when all manner
of treasures are to be hod. One or two pieces were offered to
me, but as the pretty damsels who brought them had obviously
had considerable wear out of them, our trading came to
nought.
All this time the liot air was blowing down the valley like the
blast from a furnace, scorching onr faces, which was the more
curious as it seemed to blow right down from the snows, I
suppose, however, that iu passing over the burning crags it
caught heat on its way. We hurried through the town, having
decided to spend the night at a road bungalow about two miles
farther — on considerably higher ground, and conse«iuently some-
what cooler. We were still close to the river, surrounded by
dark rocks from every cleft of which the great cactuses thrust
forth their pale, many-handed arrms. Here the river takes a
sudden Ixind, which, with a high-peaked hill overhead makes a
fine scene.
We agreed to sleep in the bungalow, so that we might get
away sharp in the morning, and waste no time in packing the
tents. We paid the penalty, however, for so doing, having been
nearly consumed by sand flies, most aggravating little pests. It
is bad enough to be bitten by some creature that you can pursue,
but nothing can exceed the annoyance of these painful bites
from invisible foes. Moreover, the house was literally swarming
with flies, which clustered in black, disgusting masses on every
crumb of bread, and every grain of sugar. Knowing that the
next march was likely to lie very hot after sunrise, we deemed it
well to get as far as possible while the hill lay in shadow, as our
route lay straight up its side. We were therefore astir at 3 a.m.
in the cold grey morning. Somehow in this clear atmosphere
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less sleep seems necessary, niul you wake feeling Imoyant ami up
to anything. You are glad of all your extra wraps too, for even
the invariable cup of liot chocolate caunot keep out the chill
light breeze — that chill that always sets in before the dawn,
’twixt night and morning.
lUit for the noise of the river, from which we are now rising
rapidly, there would be no sound to break the spell of silence
which hangs around, save the calls and cries of wild birds wel-
coming the returning light. As you look upward from the deep
shadow, you see the hill above you glowing like burnished gold
again.st the bhiost of blue skies, where delicate vapour wreaths
float like angel wings. And as the ruddy light of sunrise kisses
the golden lichen on the rocks, they seem as though gleaming
with living fire.
A few minutes later the sun will clear the horizon, the light
breeze will fall, hut you will be still glad of your thick woollen
raiment, to protect you from his burning rays. Such are the
perpetual variations in this climate — so cold in the shade — so
hot in the sun. One day in the depths of a tropical valley — the
next in the heart of the snows. No woiuler that many people
find such variations sorely trying.
To-day our march was from l\ain})ore to Gowrah, about eleven
miles, up and down very steep hills, crossing sundry very pretty
streams, and, as usual, passing through difl'erent belts of v'ege-
tation, varying with our altitude. Sometimes in the gloom of
dark, pine-scented forest — then at some very low level, over-
shadowed by rich hard-wood. One variety of fragrant acacia
especially delighted us, with its large blossoms like great bunches
of floss silk.
On reaching the brow of the hill a glorious view opened
before us, a foreground of rich foliage whence w'e looked down
through deep masses of forest, far into the valley, where we
caught glimpses of the river, beyond which rose tier above tier
of great hills ; and, above all, a wdiole line of snow-peaks and
rock pinnacles.
Oh ! the delight of choosing the very spot, overlooking such a
scene, where you may pitch your own dear little tent — knowing
that in three minutes your home will be homelike. No bare walls
of a ghoulish bungalow, perhui»s still reeking with the tolwcco
of the last occupants, or full of buzzing flies attracted by their
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{'ooil clic-er, but all your own cosy armii;'emeiits of ruu^ and
boxes; anti above all, the ileliolit of Iraviii" clioseii your own
pet nook, and the very best anole for your tent door, ^o as to see
least of your own species, and most of the {'lorious scenery
around you. Verily there is no such music as the liiiiumerino
of your tent-pegs — -the earnest of having secured a (>!ea.sant
resting-place on totally new grouml, where you may lialt for
exactly so long as you jtlease, and then strike once more, to seek
“fresh fields and pa.stures new.”
Someone suggests that you may some night awaken just in
time to .see a jackal run off witli the end of your nose 1 That, I
am happy to say, I did not see. But I know that of all pleasant
camping-grounds 1 enjoyed none better than Gownib ; camped
on the farthest angle of a little ])romontory, projecting into the
valley, so as to look down on three sides into the ileej) gf>rge, or
up a dark, solitary chasm between bold, precipitous rocks, and
there to sit alone,
“ rinzinfi; on patlilfss (jlen luul mountain liigti,
lasting where Irom the elilFs the toro'iita thrown
MinRle their echoes with the eagle’s cry."
It only needs the shadow of murky vapours, and of dark
thunder-clouds, such as are sure to rise ere long, anil you get a
totich of awe which gives the finishing stnjke of delight. Then
the sun will set, lurid and gloomy, throwing a warning, IjliKtd-red
glow over the mountain-tops, and lighting up the dark, troubled
sky, while the low rumbling of stormy voices suggests the
awakening of all weird sjiirits.
The khaih hereabouts began to be cnvered with wild ajiricot
tree.s, laden with fruit; and the golden crop attracted tlricks of
green pigeons. These were an attractive target, and moi-eover
proved excellent eating, as did also some rhkkore, the red-l<>ggwl
partridge; so with apricot tart, and wild apricots and rasplwvries
for dessert, we dined as kings. The apricots, however, proved too
much for poor blue-eyed Nanko the ahikaref, who sullVred so
frightfully from unre(|uited attachment to unripe “ plums,” as he
called them, that he utterly' lost heart, and literally never smiled
again. lie who had been the most zealous and energetic of the
jiarty l)ecame so utterly wretched that he was allowed to return
alone, to the bosom of his family, beyond Simla, where he found
consolation, and in due time mllied in health and spirits. I fear
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the poor fellow hud been subjected to a good deal of “ chaff,” and
chaff under such circumstances is apt to go against the grain.
At this place we came in for the only instance of dishonesty
we ever heard of amongst these Paharis, whose general character
in these matters is irreproachable, “ Honest as a Pahari ” being
a proverbial expression. In fact, theft is almost unknown, and
these men carry treasures, which to them would be priceless,
for days and days, along wild mountain tracks, whence at any
moment they might diverge, and never l>e traced. Even money
is safely entrusted to them, and is invariably delivered into the
right hands, though they are as ready as their neighbours to
haggle for a few pence in all their bargains.
The temptation which on this day proved too much for even
Pahari honesty, was a wretched sheep in which we had invested,
and on which our dinners for a couple of days depended. The
sheep was duly tethered in a place of safety, whence, however, it
shortly disappeared. (Jreat was the hue and cry ; great was the
righteous indignation of the chokcdar, who nevertheless was proved
to be himself either the thief or the instigator of the theft. From
his house was our unlucky mutton rescued, and the crestfallen
expression of the whole man when tluis detected was pitiful to
behold. It was a dear sheep to him, as he was of course
dismissed from a position of such trust.
For a chokfdar is a sort of policeman who has charge of these
bungalows, and is bound to provide coolies and any provisions
that travellers may require; tlie general demand being for sheep,
which the people are most unwilling to sell, though the full value
is always given. But the people hate selling anything, however
high the price offered.
A new feature of the hills here is that little shelves of table-
land occur every here and there, on each of which is pt:rched a
village surrounded with termced fields. Sometimes six or eight
such villages are in sight at once, seeming to hang all down the
face of the hill ; and tlie natives, when they want the men from
some other village, instead of toiling up one khad and down
another in search of them,stanil at their own doors, and call their
friends, with a shrill intonation that seems to travel for miles,
and you hear the voices echoing among the distant hills. Then
the owner of the curious name, the Himalayan Donald or Honald,
res|Hjnd8 in a shout which reaches you. mellowed by distance,
voi.. II. \i
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162 FROM THE HEBRIDES
and explains why he cannot come. So then Hugh or Tan are
summoned, and these, having put a couple of large hannocks
into their string bag, that they may he ready for all emergencies,
start from the home, to which they may not be able to return for
days together.
Tliey are wonderfully frugal and abstemious, just like those
old Highlanders who scorned the degenerate rising generation,
■when first it introduced the custom of taking a light breakfast
of oatmeal before starting for the chase, and so necessitated the
invention of new terms for the great and little meal, instead of
the old word Lon, which was the only genuine Highland word
for the daily meal.
Perhaps, in addition to the biinnocks, these Paharis will take
with them an extra plaid and an extra supply of tolmcco, and
then they are ready for whatever may happen. This is all the
provision they make for the longest march.
It has been notice^l that this good qualification for a soldier is
utterly wasted when hill regiments are raised from these tribes,
as they are at once accustomed to the same luxuries as other
troops, consequently to the same necessity for a baggage train
when on active serxdce, a soldier’s bedding and other gear being
a fair load for a coolie. Think how astonished an agricultural
Pahari must be to see his military brother thus promoted.
The men are almost invariably short and well knit ; they are
strong and hai-dy, game for any amount of work and fatigue, on
what would seem to us starvation diet. These Highlanders are
sometimes very slack in keeping up distinctions of caste. They
will constantly, ns a matter of expediency, and for the good of
trade, eat with the merchants from Turtary and Thibet. They
will even sometimes accept a biscuit offered them by Englishmen,
and are generally willing to share their meals one with another,
provided they are not cooked with water. Hence each man must
make his own bread ; but should game be killed, they will roast
it, and have no objection to sharing that, or fruit or dried grain.
I fancy this distinction must exi.st also in the plains, as I have
seen a high caste Brahmin accept fruit from my hand, though I
dared not offer a child a sugar-plum or a biscuit.
The Paharis are, however, by no means wholly free from the
shackles of caste. One day a whole regiment of wretched-looking
coolies came to us in great turmoil, declaring that they had proved
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liatna, our lieaJ servant, to be the son of a col)bler, which is a
very low ca.ste, and that as he stoval l)etween tlieni and the snn
his shadow had fallen on their milk, and so tliey had Iweii coni-
jielled to throw it away. Poor Iiutmi conid not deny the foul
inipeachnient, but meekly declared his willingness to pay for
more milk and to remove his noxious shadow, and .so the matter
ended. In other matters the coolies fully recognized his
authority as bear-leader, and were quite, willing to honour him
with the title of Gee. These cobblers, or shoemakers, are treated
almo.st as slaves by the villagers ; they, and still lower ca.stes
called Domes and Mehters, being compelled to do all the work,
even to cultivating the land ; and as they may h.rve no land of
their own, they only mceive food in return fur service done,
iluch of the farm work is done by women, while the men look
after the cattle and spin. Every man you meet is invariably
spinning. They work very slowly, but incessantly, carrying a
bundle of loose, short wool in the breast of their blou.se; a bit
of stick does the work of a distaff, and so theypnq)are endless
supplies of yam, which they will afterwanls weave into somsy
“ home-spun ” raiment.
I cannot .say that this sort of spinning hiis the charm of our
own old wheel, which, whether in cottage or in hall, in the hands
of a grey-haired granny or of a beautiful and high-bred dame,
certaiidy lends its aid in composing the most attractive of all
home-scenes, with its low humming murmur, winding on and on
like some continuous old crooning song ; soothing you into a
delicious, dreamy idleiies.s, while you watch the play of the red
fire-light, among its j>leasant lines and curve.s.
Thi.s, however, is locomotive spiuuing, which allows of no idle
hands. The coolie w ho waits for hours at your door draws his
distafi’ from his bosom, and lies in the sunshine at his work,
and he who plods along the well-kimwn road will, if not over-
bunlened, spin half a hank befoi-e reaching the next village.
Sheep-shearing occura thrice a year, so the spinners must la;
diligent to keep jmce with the .sui>ply.
One very curious custom prevails atnong these .shepherds,
which will remind you of the strange old Highland ceremony of
the turn IkUiil, or Suuwist!, round all matiiier of objects, pertly
for luck, parti}’ as a lingering trace of the sun-worship of
their ance.stors. Here the villagers occasionally collect all
M 2
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164
FROM THE HEBRIDES
their flocks into one great herd, and, walking at its head, lead
it slowly round the village, following the course of the sun.
They gradually quicken the pace to a run, and so go thrice or
oftener right round the village.
The same turn sunwise occurs in various other instances.
Thus in case of sickness or accident, sheep and goats are
solemnly led twice or thrice round the sufferer, and then have
their heads cut off. In the case of a rich man, many are thus
sacrificed to divers demons, who are suspected of having enviously
caused the mischief. Should the man recover, it is supposed
that the demon has been propitiated ; but should he die, it is
said that doubtless the Almighty, who over-rules all lesser
powers, has so willed it. To them this Great Spirit is a Being
of infinite terror, to be served with exceeding fear ; a mighty
power that will send all manner of famine and disease, unless
they are for ever striving to appease Him. As to anything in
their faith that can gladden life — anything like love, or com-
panionship, or daily heli>, tluit is utterly unknown, and quite
incomprehensible.
Nevertheless they say the God of gods requires no sacrifice —
only worship. Their sacrifices, therefore, are offered to the
lesser gods and demons ; sometimes merely offerings of sweet-
meats and such delicacies, or even flowers. Sometimes the
sacrifices are most solemn, and suggestive of old patriarchal days.
'J'he people assemble in the dark cedar forest, and set up an altar
of unhewn stones whereon fire is kindled, and sheep and goats
are offered for a burnt-offering.
In spite of their belief in the thirty-three millions of good and
evil spirits, their wor.ship seems to I>e not so much directed to
general deities as to the .special god of each village, for whom a
dwelling-place is prepared in the temples ; a sort of ark wherein
the veiled image dwells. This is fastened to long poles, and
taken out for a daily airing. But once a year it is carried in
most solemn procession, when all the people of the village
assemble, and dance before the ark, from the greatest man to the
least. Above this tabernacle, which is draped with hangings of
some briglit material, is genei-ally set a brazen head, having four
or more faces, above which no<l huge plumes of dark or scarlet
wool ; they are yaks’ tails, such as are used on the plains to
brush away flies from the presence of great men. Sometimes
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Other faces of polished metal are set all round the tabernacle,
and glance in the sun as the procession moves on. Generally a
deep fringe of silky, white yaks’ tails hangs all round, reaching
almost to the ground, effectually concealing the bodies of the
men who carry the goddess, so that she seems to be stalking
along, like some hideous centipede, with black legs ; an effect,
by the way, which constantly occurs to you as a string of
grass-cutters comes along a road, each presenting the curious
T11K AKK ur TUK VKIIJCD
appearance of an immense load of gras.s moving on two lean
black legs.
Each village has a set of people devoted to the service of the
temple. The men must beat a reveille at dawn in honour of
the gods, and to waken the villagers, and in the evening the
same sound of unmusical shells, bells, and cymbals, acts as a
combination of curfew and evensong. Though these people
do not think it necessary to wash themselves, the goddess
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
imist Im washed and dressed daily; leaves of wild mint are
anmiig her daily offerings, and incense is burnt l)efore her. The
work of the women is to dance holy dances, in which, however,
all the village maidens are very ready to join.
Some of the more solemn festivals are made the occasion of
immense gatherings of all the tribes, a sort of vast choir-meeting
in fact. Each village sends forth its ark, accomjianied by all
the women and most of the men, dressed in their gayest
holiday suit, ami covered with all their jewels ; moreover
they actually wash themselves, so it is a very bright and festive
gathering. They sing and dance ns they go, and play all manner
of antics. The ark is carried by specially appointed men, the
leader walking backwards to avoid turning his back to the
goddess. I do not think any of the other worshippers ever touch
it ; certainly they would on no account have allowed us to do
so, or to obtain even a glimpse of the veiled presence within
the curtains, though these, being sometimes blown aside by
the breeze, might otherwise have revealed some hint of the
beauties of Durga I’arvati, she being the pet goddess in these
hills.
They call this tabernacle of their god, a Khuda. As they
carry it along up the hills and through the forests, all present
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inu.st dance and sing. Probably the forest sanctuary whither
they are bound is one of those temples of rudely carv’ed cerlar-
wood, which you so constjinlly see, beneath any remarkably fine
group of trees ; for
“ The simple wivoge, whose untutored mind
Sees (jikl in cloud, and hears Him in the wind/’
believes that such fair trees are HLs cho.sen dwelling-place; so
they are spoken of as “ the trees of God,” and wherever a little
temple shows that the spot is held .sacred by the Paharis, the
Government officers who have charge of the forests, are bound
to respect that place, and the stately timbers are spared from
the ruthless axe, which else would have turned them all into
railway slee{>ers. So all we, who love these glorious mouarchs
of the forest, have good cause to rejoice over these choice cedar
trees, “ the trees of the Lord, even the cedars which He hath
planted.”
Near this little temple there is generally a space artificially
levelled, perhaps paved. Here the Khuda is laid down. Perhaps
other villagers have assembled, bringing their Khudas, and all the
people rejoice greatly, and for, perhaps, three days, they keep up
their sacreel mirth ; and the sellers of grain make rather a good
thing of it, for they set up their little white tents and booths
and provide divers refreshments for the hungry dancers. Every
now and then the Khuda is lifted from the ground, and carried
in a little circle, sunwise, while the huge plumes wave and
shake, keeping time to the rude music ; and an outer circle of
men, joining hands, dance a wild dance, all keeping step. Then
the idol is once more deposited, and all the {ample make obeis-
arum, while the dance continues; and the women, linked in
one hing undulating chain, go on circling sunwise round the
Khuda.
They are linked together with one arm ; each woman, clasping
her neighbour by the waist, keeps the other arm free, and there-
with, as she bows to the Khuda. she waves a plume-like chowrie
or yak’s tail; not all waving together, but in rapid succession, so
that the wave of motion never ceases, but rolls for ever and for ever
with singularly graceful action. When one woman is tired,
another slips into her place ; sometimes the men form the circle,
then both men and women join, and keep up the same winding
and turning, circling round and round. And when night comes.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
great fires are lighted and Uirches of jiine wix>d, and still the
wild dance goes on, and the incessant monotonous music of tom-
toms and great truniyfct shells (sankhs) and other discordant
instruments never ceases, as you will have good cause to know
should your camp be pitched too near these sacred revels.
At length when their eneiyyies are exhausted, the meeting
breaks up, the annual festival is over, and each group of villagers
can-ies their i>atron goddess back to her own temple, while the
rest of the congregation will disperse, and scatter themselves
in little groups along every path, up hill and down dale.
A ceremony so strange naturally sets you wondering what it
all means, and how it all originated ; various suggestions have
been made as to the possibility that some tradition may have
reached even these remote hills of that Sacred Ark whereby the
Hebrews were taught to realize the actual Presence of the Most
High.
That some legends of a remote past still linger in these moun-
tains is well known, as for instance, that tradition of the Deluge
which tells how Manu and the Seven Sages built them a mighty
ship, wherein were stored seed of all living things, and how
Brahma, taking the form of a great fish (in whose honour, it
may be, that so many fi.sh are still held sacred, and preserved
in all the tanks), rescued this ship, when the Great Deluge
came and overwhelmed the earth. And Brahma drew the ship
for many days, till at length it rested on one high peak of the
Himalayas, to which lie bound the ves.sel. And the mountain
has ever since borne the name of Kaubandhana, which means
the fastening of the boat. Which peak beai-s this name, the
people themselves do not know, but this is their legend ; it is,
however, one which they hold in common with many other
nations, and need prove no connection with Judea.
It would, however, be strangely interesting to know if any
such connection had at any time exi.sted. Some have even
fancied that they might here find traces of the lost tribes of
Israel, and have pointed out various other resemblances between
the simple, primitive religious ceremonies of these people and
those of the old patriarchs.
Amongst the most interesting accounts of these things is that
given by my friend Mr. Simpson, who spent a couple of months at
Cheenee, a village a little farther up the valley, closely observing
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169
the niaimere and customs of his neighbours. He was vividly
impressed by the strongly defined Jewish type of countenance, so
common among these people. Still more was he struck by the
strange similarity of their heathen worship with certain parts of
the old Jewish ceremonial. “ Here,” he says, “ are a people,
scarcely one of whom had ever been a dozen miles from their
own village. It was almost impossible for a single idea from the
outer world to reach them. Yet they had just been practising
the most ancient rites of worship, which must have remained
shut up and unaltered in that wild valley for ages.”
He goes on to tell how the people, having indulged in the rare
luxury of a good washing (ceremonial) a few days previously,
had assembled at the village of Coatee to do homage to the
strange mysterious Kliuda ; that many-headed goddess whose
faces only appear above the covered box, or ark, or tabernacle,
the veil from which is never withdrawn, and which no stranger
is allowed to touch. Only, as we have already observed, her
devout worshippers are honoured by being allowed to carry this
ark by turns, by means of long poles attached to it, and one
must walk backward, so that both may face her holiness.
Thus borne, and escorted by all the great men of the village,
dancing before this their go*ldess, to the tune of drums, trumpets,
cymbals, and horns, her j)rocession came winding through the
primeval forest, and through deep, dark glens, till they reached
a temple, standing alone near some grand old cedars. In front
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
of this was a roughly paved court, precisely similar to the
threshing-floors in common use. Here they deposited their ark,
in front of the temple of curved cedar wood. An old priest with
.strikingly Jewish features washed all the faces of the goddess
with mint leaves and water, then he offered incense, flowers,
fruit, and bread.
As I was never present at one of these sa(!rifices, I must give
you Mr. Simpson’s most interesting description of this. He says :
“A numher of playful young kids were now brought forward.
Tlie priest sprinkled them with water. A large flat brazen dish
was placed on the ground, and one of the villagers stood ready
with an ornamented sacred hatchet. 'With one blow he struck
off the head of the kid ; then the priest’s assistant raised the
head, and advancing to the Khuda presented it, muttering certain
wonls. He put his finger into the blood, and then by a jerk
flicked it upon the idol. Thus the blood was ‘sprinkled.’ After
doing this once or twice, he dipped his forefinger into the blood
and touched the Khuda with it. The head was tlien deposited
with the other offerings. Meanwhile the body of the kid had
been so placed that all the blooil ran into the brazen vessel, and
when two or three animals had been .sacrificed and the dish was
full, one of the men lifted it up, and, first presenting it to the
Khuda, turned round, and giving a great swing of his body,
emptied the Wood against the whitewashed wall of the temple.
This ceremony was thrice repeated.”
A curious sort of game was now plaj'ed, whence the festival
takes its name, the Akrol-ka-jwojn, or Walnut Festival. The
priest and a few companions having ascended to a balcony in the
temple, all the young men present assailed them with volleys
of walnuts and green pine-cones ; these the men on the balcony
gathered up, and threw back at their as.sailants. Tliis (juaint
fight la.stcd half an hour, when the besieged de.scended, and once
more mi.xed with the throng. Mr. Simpson failed to a.scertain
the meaning of this ceremony, but alludes to the frequent occur-
rence of the pine-cone as a religious emblem in the Assyrian
sculptures, and to its ornamental use in Kashmere and through-
out India.
Certainly it would seem that some special idea of sanctity is
attached to the coniferous tribe, as we may gather from many of
the native names for divers kinds of fir trees.
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Tims, that weeping fir, whose lonj; pensile branches are laden
with narrow cones, sometimes si.\ inches in hmgtii, is often
called the Abies Morinda, sometimes the Khudrow, the former
name signifying, in the native dialect, honey tears, in reference
to the resinous dro]>3 which exude from the cones and bark,
and which are made into cakes as offerings for the gods. The
name Khudrow, or sacred tears, is of course derived from the
.same source as Khiida.
The Indian Silver Fir is known to botanists as Picea Webbiana.
Both wood and cones are, or were, used by ]>reference in the
oflering of burnt-saerifice. Its cones are lung and narrow,
varying from four to six inches in length, and are of a purjdy-
green colour.
As to the Sacred Cedar, the Deodar (or, as it is called by the
natives, and in the sacred Shastras — Devadara or Devadaru), its
name, whether derived from the Satiskrit Deva or the Litiii Dett.%
alike de.scribes the stitely cedars as emphatically the Trees of
God. The second syllable, variously rendered as Da or Do —
Dara — Daru, may be tran.shited, the gift — the .sjwu.se — the wcxid,
but all alike denote the .sanctity of the tree.
\Vhile the young men and prie.sts were engaged in j>eltingone
another with these sacred cones and walnuts, the slaughtered
kids were lieing C(K)ked, ready for the .solemn feast which
followed.
Then “the people having seated themselves all round upon
the .space liefore the Khuda, the cakes and flesh were dealt out
to them anti eitten. The women were heijird before the men, which
is altogether foreign to Ea.stern custom.” Ju.st as the people
were preparing to return home, the Kliuda commenced .shaking
mysteriously, anil so intimated its intention of visiting the
neighbouring village of Cheenee. It was at once obeyed. The
jieople recommenced singing and dancing with all their might,
and w'ere in a state of wihl excitement. The trumpeLs soundeil,
the tomtoms were beaten, and the strange juoce.ssion went on iu
way through the dark forest. Some of the men ran on before to
give warning to tlie authorities of the honour in store for them.
So at the confines of the village of Cheenee, the rival go<lde.s8
was waiting with her trumpets and drums to receive her guest
with all due honour. The two Khudas spent a night together,
* Mure correctly writtia S'dMras, from the Saaskrit $'<U, to teach.
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172 FROM THE HEBRIDES
after which the lady of Kothi returned to take care of her own
dominions.
Now turn to the description of a very dift’erent scene; a scene
nevertheless which has points of resemblance so strange as
surely to imply some traditional link in far bt’gone times. It
is a story of Judea, of the return of that “Ark of God which
dwelleth within curtains," that Holy Place within the vail, into
which even the High Priest miglit enter but once a year, with
the offering of sweet incen.se, and the blood of atonement, where-
with to sprinkle the mercy seat.
The king and thirty thousand of his men had gone to fetch
the Ark, to bring it to the city of David, and they set the Ark
of God upon a new cart. And David and all the house of Israel
accompanied the Ark. And they played before God with all
their might, on all manner of in.stnimenfs, made of fir-wood;
even on harps, and on p.saUeries, and on timbrels, and on cornets,
and on cymbals, and with singing, and with trumpets. But, ere
long, the o.xen stumbled, and Uzzah put forth his hand to hold
the Ark. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah,
and God smote him there for his error, becau.se he put his hand
to the Ark, and there he died before God. Then David wa.s
afraid to bring the terrible Ark to his city.
But after three months he took courage, and rememljered that
“ none ought to carry the Ark of God but the Levites, for them
hath the Lord cho.sen to carry it,” so he called the priests and
told them, that because they had not sought God £ifter due order,
therefore He had made this breach upon them. So they sanctified
themselves, and carried the Ark upon their .shoulders, ‘toith the
Mares thereon. And with them were a great company singing,
and playing on instruments of music. And David danced before
the D)RD with all his might. So he and all the house of Israel
brought up the Ark of the. Lord with shouting and with the
voice of the trumpet. “ And they brought in the Ark of the Lord,
and set it in his place in the midst of the tabernacle that David
had pitched for it, and David offered burnt-offerings and peace-
offerings before the Lord. . . . And he dealt among all the
people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as loell to
the women as men, to every one a cake of bread and a good piece of
flesh.” Then all the people returned, every man to his own
house.
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I think we must admit that the trumpery, tawdry ark, wherein
the poor Pahari reverences a presence, which he desires to
honour, has, to say the least of it, some curious affinities to that
Glorious Tabernacle of the Israelites. Even the coincidence in
size is very remarkable, the measurement of the Holy Ark being
generally reckoned at two feet and a half in width and height,
while the length was something under four feet. The propor-
tions of the Khuda are slightly variable, being probably decided
by rule of thumb, still they approximate roughly to the
above.
The name of this Himalayan ark and some of the ceremonies
connected with it are also singularly suggestive of certain customs
in that strange Abyssinian Church which still continues to
blend some trace of Jewish tradition with its Christian ritual.
The priests have a legend which tells that when Mcnelik, son of
the Queen of Sheba, was sent to Palestine for his education, he
was on his return accompanied thence by many Jews, in com-
pliance with the advice of King Solomon, a fact which fully ac-
counts for all the Jewish colonies in Abyssinia, Amongst these
emigrants were many of the chief priests, who, however, were
greatly averse to deprive themselves of the guiding presence of
the Holy Ark. They therefore made one exactly similar, which
they contrived to substitute for the original, and thus were able
to carry the real Ark to Abyssinia, where it is now concealed in
the Church of Axum, none save the Primate, or High Priest,
being allowed to enter that Tabernacle or look on that most holy
thing. The Governor of Axum is known by a title signifying
" Keeper of the Ark.” Put although this city alone claims pos-
session of the true Ark, each church, like the modern Jewish
synagogue, has, within its inner sanctuary, a representation there-
of, supported by wooden posts, which have been fashioned
without the use of any instrument of steel or iron.* Here the
priests consecrate the sacred sacramental elements, and at each
division of the service they march three times, sunwise, round
the Ark, carrying the cross, the book, and the incense. This
Holy of Holies is hidden from the congregation by a heavy
* We have already noted, in .-ipeaking of Celtic aiiperstitions, that the touch of
ateel or iron deprived aacred plants of all mystic virtue. In home also a statute
of the Twelve Tallies eommamled that the funeral pyre should lie hiiill of wood
%inloufh^d by fhf nre.
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174 FROM THE HEBRIDES
curtuin or veil. Tlie part of the chimth which surrounds this
ino.st holy place is called the Kudist, answering to Kodesh, the
name by which the Hebrews describe the snnctuar}% while the
title Kitdosh, or holy, is uttered before the name of any Chri.stiau
saint. So the Himalayan Khuda shows its origin pretty
plainly by its title and its affinities. Its existence, however, is
not confined to these regions. ^Vhen Mr. Simp.son, who first
called attention to these Abyssinian arks, pursued his travels
into Japan, he there also found small arku carried on staves, in
religious proiessioii.«, and I have myself seen them used in
Ceylon both by Ihiddhists and Tamils. The former thus carried
a small ark containing only a golden lotus blossom. The latter,
at IfatnajK)ora, and probably elsewhere, have a full-sized ark,
wherein, on great festivals, are deposited the saered arrows
of Kama, which are brought forth from an inner .sanctuary,
and closely veiled from the curious gaze by heavy curtains,
while, mid music and dancing, the Ark is borne on slaves, and
the car of Jaggernath is dragged round the precincts of the
Temple.
Having made the most of a day’s halt at (lowrah we again
pushed on, up and down the steepe.st of braes, sometimes crossing
streams clear as crystal, overshadowed l»y the exepusite acacia
with blossoms like pink and white floss silk. The wild apricot
trees were loaded with fruit, and mulberry, walnut, and ja-ar
trees all gave ))romise of an abundant crop. The people were
bu.sy harvesting in the tiny, naiTow ridges, sometimes not four feet
wide, which act as fields, even these Iwing artificially levelleil
all down the hillside. The reajH^rs cut the heads off the grain
and Inirn the straw as it .stands, to enrich the land ; .stntw, re-
member, which stands six or eight feet, the size of the ear being
in proportion. The heads they carrj' home, and throwing them
on the flat roofs of their houses, or on a threshing-floor, they
beat out the grain, and shaking it against the wind, winnow the
grain from the chaff, exactly as our forefathers did in this land
nearly two thousand years ago, according to an old Sicilian
historian, who, writing a hundred years before Christ,’ descril>ed
the niorle of gathering the harvest in Kritain, when the reajiers
cut off the ears of corn and carried them home, to be stored in
>inderground granarie.s. 1 generally saw women at this work,
* Diivriorii.* Siriilu«.
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 175
sometimes very liamlsome girls, whose well-shaped bare arms
were clasy)ed by large silver armlets, and their wrists covered
with bracelets, their ankles and their t<H‘s being likewise
adorned.
This night our halt was at Serahan, where we found a house so
large and so comfortable that we had no excuse for putting up
the tents. An excellent garden supplied us with abundant
vegetables of all sorts, even to artichokes. Close to the house
rises the brighte.st of crystal springs, overshadowed by weeping-
willows, and the clear stream which Hows thence is full of
the most delicious watercresses. These were found in divers
streams along the route. The natives did not seem to know
their excellence, and looked rather astonished at our gathering
them, but they soon tried the experiment for themselves willi
evident satisfaction.
With unspeakable pleasure we rested beneath the shade of
tho.se beautiful drooping willows, nibbling the fre.sh green cresse.s,
or drinking fiom the clear bubbling spring just for love of its
l)eauty. Some months later, on a dull grey day in Edinburgh,
I alluded to this Himalayan paradise, and a lady,' then un-
known to me, replied that she knew it well, for she had lived in
that bungalow for months while her husband was employed in
engineering the road, and that she herself had jdanted lx)th the
willows and the watercresses. I think her name ought to be
inscribed in letters of gold beside the fountain, that all future
travellers in these wilds may bless it !
Just above this bungalow stands the summer palace of the
Rajah of Ba.ssahir, whose winter quarters we had seen on the
cliff at Ram })0 re. He intimated his intention of honouring us
with a visit, but fortunately for us was too drunk to do so. I'lie
situation of his palace is beautiful, as is that of all the grounds
hereabouts. A beautiful mixture of grey rock, terraced fields,
and dark foliage (horse-chestnut, I think) extending far down
the steep hillside to the brink of the river, while right overhead
thegrand snow line towers far above the clouds, its gleaming
white broken by quaint pinnacles of black rock. The tiny
villages on the hillside seem numberless and very picturesque ;
the houses are a good deal likeSwi.ssc/id/rfs.
Groups of lads and lassies, in holiday attire, were assembling
' .Mrs, Homhin.
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176 FROM THE HEBRIDES
from all these, and making for one point on the hillside, where
some festivity was going on, which was kept up all night long,
for the music and dancing never ceased. One very hand.some
woman, whose dress was of unusually rich colours, and the weight
of her jewels startling, came and fraternized with us, showing us
her finery with a very pretty half-bashful manner. From her nose
to her toes she was covered with ornaments. I regret to say that
her toes were not adorned with bells, only with rings. As to her
ears, she must have had fully a dozen rings in each. Her dress and
plaid were, as usual, of striped wool, very heavy, and of brilliant
colours. The heavy fold at the back was precisely the pannier
then iu fashion in London, and the large chignon differed only from
that of our dames in that, instead of being made of some con-
vict’s hair, it was of scarlet wool — a foil to the silkiest black hair
and clear olive complexion. Of course she wore the invariable
plaits of black worsted hanging down her back like false plaits
attached to the scarlet chignon, and on her head the usual
round woollen hat, with scarlet top, and a bunch of sweet yellow
roses stuck in coquettishly in front.
No one was more delighted with beautiful Serahan than
our excellent dhobie, who here found such facilities for his
laundry work as rarely fell to his lot. Imagine the feelings of a
British laundry-maid at being turned adrift on these hills with
a large washing to do, when and how she could, in any stream
she came to. Then having to bundle up her wet heavy linen
and get it dried and ironed as best she might, inarching twelve
or fourteen miles between each process !
So the dhobie, like ourselves, rejoiced in lieing at rest in
pleasant quarters, and would fain have lingered for many days.
Imagine, therefore, his tlismay and ours, when a detestable
Baboo, who was himself hurrying on to a farther point, and
who had received orders to make himself generally useful to
us, came up, and in most fluent Englisli poured forth a stream
of eloquence, to prove what frightful danger we should incur by
halting many hours at the next point, namely Tranda, where
cholera was raging, and tlie people were dying “ like rotten
sheep," as the saying is ; that, therefore, we must arrive there
late one evening, and leave again at daybreak. This might have
been excellent advice for a future day ; but he pointed out such
difficulties that would attend our attempt to get coolies there
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
177
■without his valuable assistance — in fact, the impossibility of
our doing so— and he was altogether so determined that we
should push on at once, that in a weak moment (oh, how weak I)
we gave in.
Again the poor dhohie bundled up his goods ; again we
packed our books, our bedding, our divers treasures, and with
very heavy hearts turned away from the -willows by the water-
courses — to .say nothing of the watercresses — where we had
purposed spending so peaceful a Sunday, or rather a Sabbath, of
welcome rest.' Already the s\in was high in the heavens, and
of course all the coolies were scattered all over the fields at
their work. However, tlie Haboo would have his way ; so he
despatched messengers to all the villages, and they were gra-
dually collected. By midday a small detachment of unwilling
men had arrived, and were got under weigh, together with half
the servants. Then Mrs. (jraves and I started; she, with her
unflagging energy on foot, 1, as usual, in tlie dandie. The
march was unusually long, ostensibly fourteen miles, but cer-
tainly a good deal more; with j)erpetual ascents and descents
of very steep khads. Certainly it was wonderfully lovely, both
for mountain views and beauty of foreground.
We passed the Drali Cliff, where a stone cross marks the
scene of a teirible accident. It is the place where Sir Ale.\-
ander Lawrence was killed. The path, which is now blasted
on the face of the precipice, was then in places carried over
wooden bridges, which lay across frightful chasms. Sir Alex-
ander was ruling a heavy horse, at rather a quick pace, along this
dangerous ground, when one of the bridges gave way, and he
* It doubtless iKiunds Hti-ange to «*ar8 uuaccustomeil to Indian manners to hear
Sunday spoken ofby Christians as a suitible day for laundry and other household
work, and certain old words relative to “thy manservant, ami thy maidservant,
and thy stranger that is within thy gales,” very naturally siiggt'st themselves.
Probably the extreme laxity of Sunday olxservauce among white men and women
may in great measure account for its total diart'gard by their household. In point
of fact, the gardeners and the tailors are the only members of an Indian establish-
ment who, us a matter of course, take their Sunday holiday ; and it certainly is
a dubious question whether there is much advantage in enforcing an institution
which, of course, is nowise binding on the conscience of men, who have their
own innumerable fasts and festivals to attend to. Moreover, in the matter of
day*lahourei's, such as coolies, w'hether working for Oovemmcnl or for private indi-
viduals, no work means no pay. a very serious conseqtmnce of a rnmpulsor}- (and
to them) unmeaning holiday, which is no
VOU II. K
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
I7X
was hurled down aii appalling distance — sheer down to one of
the clear streams which flow into the Sutlej. His horse was
stopped half-way by a projecting rock. It is said that his dog,
unable to follow his master, turned back to meet Sir John
1IIK 1»KALI
Ijiwrence, and so conveyed the first dread that some mischief
had befallen his nephew.
It was late in the afternoon liefore Captain Graves, having
got all the baggage started, was able to overtake n.s, happily
TO THE HIMALAYAS. 17y
accouipanied by one coolie witli u kilta of provisions; so at sun-
set we halted beside a delicious stream, in the greenest ferny
dell, with overarching trees, and did most thoroughly enjoy
our dinner, as did also a sheep which was marching with us,
ready for future use, but which in the meantime proved itself
a genuine cannibal, and ate up ever}’ scrap of mutton that we
could spare. Tlien on we went again.
^^y </« rtf/ 1>- bearers had proved a weak lot from the beginning,
atid I had walked fully half-way. A good deal of the path
lay along the edge of a precipice, where a false step of either
coolie would have sent us down thousands of feet. As the
darkness closed in, the men stumbled so that I had to give up
the attempt to use the dniuik, and we all struggled along on
foot in the stfirlight. I’rc.seutly the men lighted blazing torches,
which are made of bundles of long resinous splinters bound
together. Each torch is about three feet long, and burns for
nearly half an hour, so that one man can carry such a supply
as will last for hours. We ]>assed sundry encampments of
wild-looking Paharis and Thil)et merchants, whose tents and
blazing fires were most piclures<iue, especially one lot, who were
camped besitle a clear, beautiful stream.
The last two mile.s, up a very steep hill, seemed intermin-
able ; and it was ten o’clock before we reached Tarandah road
bungalow. ( )h ! how glad we were to be at rest. Most of the
servants and coolies never appeared till ten o’clock the next
morning, having yielded to the attmetions of the comfortable
fires by the way. Happily the cook was not among the de-
faulters, and with the usual amazing power these men have of
girding themselves to serve their masters, after the longest
march, he rapidly gave us hot tea and other good things.
Happily, too, one bundle of bedding had arrived, which we
divided, and soon slept the sleep of the weary.
I woke to see the snow-peaks far overhead, glowing in the
red morning light; and to revel in the fragrant scent of pine.s
that came wafted from the dark cedar foiest close by. Every-
thing felt strangely solemn and still. Hardly a breath
stirrctl in the valley, and never a sound, save the deep,
hoarse roar of the Sutlej, hidden in the chasm far below. It
was a most unusual silence, for generally the voices of the
villagers calling to one another from hill to hill make anything
N 2
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ISfi FROM THE HEBRIDES
but mountain stillness. This strange hush would therefore gene-
rally have been most welcome. To-day, however, it spoke only
of pestilence and death, of a valley decimated by cholera —
mysterious and terrible scourge — from which the affrighte<l vil-
lagers had Hed. no one knew whither; they and their wives, and
their little ones, their Hocks and their herds, to seek a refuge
in some remote corner of their mountain fastnesses, until the
evil hour was past, and the Angel of Death had passed on,
weary of lingering where there were none to smite.
The cholera had been capricious as usual in its selection of
victims. Not those homes only which lay low in the valley, in
the hot steaming miasma, had yielded their dead, but those in
the clear pure air, perched on the edge of such clitfs as ensured
their own good drainage, had likewise suffered. And even at
this very house, the servant of an Englishman who had but
passed through the valley had died within a few hours. It
was hard to realize that such danger lurked in so fair a spot,
where the bright sunlight glanced so pleasantly on the slopes
of vivid green turf, and che(iuered the cedar shade with such
sparkling gleams. Nevertheless, it was the jiart of wisdom
to hurry on, so we watched anxiously for the ariival of the
truants.
Meanwhile a party of merchants from Ladawk came up,
terribly dirty, but the women loaded with quaint jewels. They
brought with them a poor fellow who had just fallen from a
high tree, and was considerably damaged. They wanted datcai
(medicine), but were well satisfied with a supply of rum, which
was all we had to give. It was with some satisfaction that we
saw him some days afterwards decidedly on the mend, and
knew our treatment had not fevered our patient. Few of these
men are above the vanities of dress, and they generally wear
some quaint jewel or charm. This poor fellow had a huge tuft
of peacocks’ feathem in his cap, which were all broken and
draggled by his fall, giving a most comic-pathetic look to the
group as they came up.
Most of these people have no knowledge whatever of medicine,
not even of the medicinal properties of their own herbs. Their
one idea is the use of fresh turpentine from the pines as a poul-
tice, or of cedar oil for skin complaints. Firing, as an English-
man would fire a horse, is a favourite remedy for all manner of
• *
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
181
pains. Nevertheless they have a perfect passion for pliysic of
all sorts, and were coiitinually ask ng for dauni and putting un-
limited faith ill our prescriptions. The most popular medicine
is quinine, especially with the servants from the plains, who are
very liable to get a touch of fever.
The demand for quinine is apt to become so heavy that it is
sometimes well to substitute chirdta, a tonic and intensely bitter
febrifuge, which is by no means so popular or so expensive,
and which is a fair test whether they really need it or not.
Chirdta can be purcha.sed in most villages, whereas to run
short of quinine would be serious indeed. As a general rule,
however, a petit verre of spirits is the best medicine to ad-
minister at random. Tliis dimh, as they call it, is a forbidden
luxury, but so long as we cull it medicine their consciences are
at rest — much on the same principle as the lax Mohammedans
evade the sumjituary laws of the Koran, and declare that one
drop of vinegar poured in 0 a cask of wine changes the prohi-
bited beverage into one worthy of an Islamite. By the bye, I
wonder whether the boatmen of the Nile are conscious of a
double entendre when brewing a variety of illegal barley beer,
which they call booijeh.
Our friend, the Baboo, had kept faith with us, and in due
time fresh coolies arrived. I must do him the justice to confe.ss
that without his aid we probably could not have captured any
in this cholera-smitten district, but the summons of a great
man’s head clerk was one which none dared to disobey. Ilence-
forwanl fully half our daily supply of coolies were- women.
Women of wonderful strength, though often fragile in
appearance, with pleasant refined faces. Others were great
strapping wenches, who shouldered loads from which I have
often seen a railway porter shrink, while these girls carried them
for a whole weary march, up and down these dreadful hills
with never a murmur — and that for the beggarly sixpence a
day ! Not only did the women never murmur, but they con-
stantly laughed and chattered all the way, dialling the men,
who worked twice as well in consequence,
I suppose this is common work for women in other parts of
India, as we were told that when the Madras cavalry were on
active service in Bengal, a number of wild-looking women fol-
lowed their lords, often doing the work of eyies in grooming the
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1S2 FROM THE HEBRIDES, ETC.
horses, and always acting as grass-cutters; a sort of foraging
that sometimes involved long, wearisome expeditions in addition
to their day’s march. Perhaps we might see something of the
same sort nearer home, for some of onr Highland lassies can carry
a very fair bui-den for many a long mile. I remember seeing one
delicate-looking little woman in Skye shoulder a heavy chest
that had arrived by the steamer, and march across the steep
hills up and down for fully twelve miles to her home. So our
maidens are not altogether fusionless,'^ even compared with these
Himalayan damsels.
As soon as the truant servants and coolies arrived, we at once
made a fresh start for Poindah, a very short and beautiful march
along the face of a steep hill with long slopes of greenest grass.
The higher ridges and crests hereal>outs are generally of gneiss
intersected by granite veins. Masses of limestone and sand-
stone, however, crop up in various places, giving varied character
both of form and colour. We halted by a cool waterfall in a
deep, wooded valley, where all the coolies, men and women,
bathed in the clear stream which comes rushing and tumbling
down through Poindah forest ; above which rise a succession of
dark solemn hills clothed with divers varieties of pine and
topped with snowy crests.
Poindah itself is a beautiful spot with a foreground of great
boulders of grey r<3ck and fine foliage, and with three distinct
views, each more l>eautiful than the other. On the one hand
we looked up to the habee snows, while right in front of us lay
a long reach of the river, with precipitous cliffs and a distant
vision of yet more snows. Then when the eye wearied with
gazing on those glittering peaks and the dazzling blue of heaven,
it turned with a sense of relief to rest on the sombre hues of the
changeless cedar forest which clothed the deep gorge on our
right. A night of heavy rain gave us soft fleecy mists in the
morning’s sunshine. A scene more peaceful and beautiful
could hardly be dcvi.sed, and we drank greedily of its loveliness,
dreading the summons that should once more bid ns hurry on
and forsake that hajipy valley.
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CHAPTEH VII.
THE CEDAR SHADE.
A SUCCESSION of soft grey days were pleasautly in keeping with
the dark forest scenery now around u.s, where every hill wore
that sombre hue which marks a forest wholly composed of
resinous trees, allwit of many species. On every side were dark
ravines clothed with the same everlasting pine, where in the
brightest midday the gloomy shadows of night still lingered.
Sometimes a gust of wild wind came moaning down the gorge,
to.ssing the dark plumes of tlie morinda aud rye pines, ns
though the shadowy spirits of the forest were wailing dirges for
all tlieir dead. Aud far above this broad cedar shade the snowy
peaks stood out, pure, cold, and majestic in the unljroken still-
ness of a solitude where no foot of man or goat could rest : the
ice-mountains and realms of eternal snow, in whose dark
and dreary caverns dwell only the awful giants of the
frost.
Some tnivellers in these regions have told us that sometimes,
when the deep valley is tilled with level mist so as to give the
impression of a quiet lake lying in deep repose, the illusion has
been infinitely heightened by its actually reflecting inverted grey
rocks and trees with all their trembling shadows ; a very
lovely species of mirage, which we had not the good fortune
to see.
About two miles from Poindah lies Sungri forest ; the fii-st
place where we really saw something of the glory of old deodars.
Here, thanks I believe to the especial recjuest of Lady Canning,
a little corner of the forest has been left untouched, aud groups
of magnificent old cedars, some well-nigh thirty feet in girth,
still hold their ground as they have probably done for a thousand
yeai-s or more.
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184
FROM THE HEBRIDES
We were told that on the more inaccessible spots scores of
such trees of even larger growth, perhaps twelve feet in diameter
at six feet from the ground, are still common enough; but alas
for this age of utilitarianism, wherever it has been possible to
bring this precious timber to market, the mouarchs of the forest
have been ruthlessly felled, and their poor scarred logs, tossed
from khad to khad, floated down torrents, and finally committed
to the foaming rivers to be for weeks the sport of mocking
waters ; at length to be drawn ashore on the burning plains
hundreds of miles from their birthplace and consigned to some
timlier inei-chant’s yard. The value of this timber is such as to
make it worth any amount of labour ; as when well seasoned
it is almost imperisliable ; those bridges for instance which are
built of deodar logs are considered a /nit acromjdi once and
for ever.
Here, however, for once, a morsel of primeval forest remains
intact, and very gmnd it is. These cedars nirely exceed a hun-
dred and twenty or at most a hundred and fifty feet in height,
but their flat branches reach out laterally on every side, forming
a great pyramid of tlnrk green with a sunlit edge, and dozens of
large pale-green cones resting on each flat layer. So when your
eyes are dazzled with gazing on snows, you turn with double
ilelight to l(K)k down into the ciwl depths of this delicious dark-
ness. Only here and there a solitaiy sun-ray falls on the silvery
grey rocks with their golden-brown lichens, or on the carpets of
delicate ferns and mosses which flourish in the deep rich leaf
mould. Hut the ferns and mosses find no welcome on the great
grey and red stems and mighty branches of the old trees. When
after the rains tliey cover every bough of the oak and other
hanlwocHl, 1 do not think you will find one green frond so ven-
turesome as to take root rm tlie cedars.
In this old forest I lingered alone for many pleasant hours of
the sleepy midday, listening to every harmonious whisper of
wind and stream and conic; all nature’s voiceless melodies for
ever murmuring low “ songs without words ” in dreamy delicious
cadences — such music as Jlother Nature sits crooning in the
deep stillness of noon. And beyond this Forest Sanctuary, the
hot, bright sunshine ballied the snows in subtle light; while in
the immeasurable space above, soft vnpouiy clouds, like angels’
wings, floated on tlir dreamy blue.
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 18 J
I said I was alone. Such luck as that, however, was rarely in
.store for so indifferent a walker as myself. But my brown
brothers generally retreated to some quiet corner, where they
might smoke to their hearts’ content, and then lie down and
sleep till they were wanted. Sometimes, during the mysterious
process of sketohing, they would sit for hours, like patient
bronzes, watching with the utmost interest. Occasionally if
they were very anxious to get to their journey’s end, they would
pretend to have forgotten to bring their dinners, and to be half
starving. As I generally knew this to be humbug, I would offer
them half of mine ; and then so excellent a Joke as my supposed
ignorance of the laws of caste w'ould keep them laughing for
an hour or two. Sometimes when they struggled to explain
something about the country, I did sorely regret my ignorance of
their language, which prevented the prrssibility of learning any-
thing from themselves of their legends and customs; and the
more intelligent men often looked much disgusted at finding
they had charge of a speechless log. However, I daresay the
]>eace and (juietness thus secured fully counterbalanced my
loss.
The. w’orst of their smoking was generally the exceeiling bad-
ness of their tobacco, which sometimes was anything but fra-
grant. The method of smoking here is quite different from that
in the plains, or rather the pipe is of simpler construction. The
commonest thing is to make two holes in the earth, some inches
apart, meeting underground. Into one hole they place dried
grass lighted, and over that drop their tobacco. Then covering
the other hole with their hand, they inhale through the fingers,
or insert a bit of bamboo grass ns mouth-piece. Every man
carries flint and steel, and a bit of inflammable cloth or fungus.
Sometimes they curl up a leaf as a pipe, and smoke it as llicy
go along. .Sometimes they carry a very rude sort of hubble-
bubble, with an oval leaden lx)wl for water, and the smoke
which has been cooled, by thus passing through water, is greatly
preferred.
Rut whatever be the form of pij>e used, these frugal beings
will not waste their tobacco by ligliting more than one pipe for
a whole parly, so each patiently waits hi.s turn while his brethren
take their three whifl,s, the last so long and so deep that the
smoke is taken in, and held, for about a (piarter of an hour, at
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1»6 FROM THE HEBRIDES
the end of which it is ejected from mouth and nostrils like a
cloud. Sometimes they manage to inhale a breath so deep that
they turn stupid and giddy, to the great di.sgust of their fellows,
who consider this sheer gluttony.
I never saw one of these human chimneys giving forth his
cloud of tobacco without remembering the story of poor Sir
Walter Kaleigh (who had learnt the soothing art from the North
American Indians) sitting down by his own fireside to smoke his
first cigar in England. To him entered an old servant — a regular
family “piece” — who seeing smoke issuing from his master’s
mouth, immediately susjiected sjKmtaneous combustion, and
without one word, rushed for a bucket of cold water, wherewith
he douched the luckless smoker without allowing time for re-
monstrance. Those were strange days in Britain when tobacco
sold for its weight in silver, one shilling being weighed against
so much tobacco, the heaviest shillings being “waled out” to act
as weights — days when, at the tables of English gentlemen, as
now among the Paharis, one pii^e was handed round, and passed
from mouth to mouth ; wealthy folk having devised a silver
pipe, while ordinary mortals used a walnut-shell, with a straw
or a small reed. Stranger days still when. Sir Walter having
been guilty of lighting his jiipe in presence of ladies, at Acton
Park, they one and all retired till the noxious weed was burnt
out! However, the delights of the aromatic weed .seem to have
been very quickly discovered, as fifteen years later we find King
James publishing his curious “ Counterblast to Tobacco,” wherein
he states that some gentlemen bestow 300/. and 400/. a year on
smoke, and although the duty thereon was the greatest custom
that came to the royal treasury, the King would fain check a
practice so detrimental to his sulijects ; and gravely asserts that
certain great tobacco takers had been examined after death, when
it was found that their insides were coated with an unctuous and
oily kind of soot! It is rather curious that, although Sir Walter
always gets the credit of having introduced the precious or per-
nicious weed to these isle.s, quite at the close of the sixteenth
centiiry, there is a (plaint old carx'ed chimney-jiiece at Cawdor
Ciustle representing various animals playing musical instruments,
and a fox smoking an unmi.stakable cutty pipe; the .stone bears
date 1510, that is, .sevent}’ years liefore Sir Walter is supposed
to have taught his countrymen this new sensation.
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. I??
Four miles beyoud Sungri forest lay our next camping ground,
at Nachar, anotlier bit of grand old cedar forest where splendid
old trees overshadow a glade of greenest grass, chequered with
vivid lights and deepest shadows. At this lovely spot an officer
of the Forest Department has wisely made his home, a cheery
Briton, commonly known as “ the I^iid of Nachar,” who gave us
a cordial welcome to his domain, and pointed out a quiet, delight-
ful nook for our tents, beyond his rough and ready little bunga-
low, a nook whence we could overlook the beautiful cedar glade,
where in the sacred grove stand two very ])icturesque. hill-temples,
built, like all tlie native houses here, and farther up the country,
principally of wooil, with overhanging roofs, and wide, elaborately
carved balconies round the upper storey. One of these was a
regular tempde. The other merely a wooden roof above a paved
terrace, whereon to rest the Khuda (the idol tabernacle) on the
occasion of the great festivals.
It would have been a pretty sight to see the hill tribes all
dancing their turning circles sunwise, in this gnis.sy glade,
beneath the grand cedars ; but there were no festivals now, only
lamentation and mourning and woe, by reason of the cry of those
stricken with cholera ; for on eveiy side, on hill and in valley,
the people were dying wholesale. Of course these poor creatures,
whose diet always is what to us would seem starvation, have
terribly little stamina to resist any attack of illness; and though
they have immense powers of endurance in the way of bodily
fatigue, they at once succumb to sickne.ss of any sort ; and so,
when cholera or kindred scourges come, their ravages are
frightful.
One of the upper men who was attacked, told me in excellent
English (he was a Baboo, or clerk) that having been very busy
the two j>revious days, he had neglected to cook his own food
and had eaten nothing but a large bag of sour apples and sourer
grapes. As soon as he was taken ill, his amiable servants, instead
of coming to get medicines for him, Hed, and left him to die
alone, though he had himself nursed those very men in jirevious
illnesses. A few instances such as this are a strange commentary
on the fact that the language contains no word equivalent to (jra-
titude. lllne.ss seems a test that few uncivilized trilres can stand,
and the Paharis are much like others in this re.s|>ect, neglecting
their sick very cruelly. One j>oor woman who was seized with
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188
FROM THE HEBRIDES
cholera, sent to ask ns for metiiciiie. We desired her husband
to give lier certain cholera pills, which he administered on the
point of a long stick, to avoid nearer contact In fact, it seems
as if most wild men, like wild beasts, leave their sick to die
alone — fortunate for the snfterers, that they do not. like these,
also f)eck them and goad them to death !
Close to the Deotas (god-houses) is another building ; a rest-
house proviileil by the gods for their worshipjiers. Of this our
.servants took immediate possession, and soon were most comfort-
ably established. Altogether we found this place so fascinating
that we halted here for a week both going and rettirning. For
my own j>art, I believe I was very near having a long sleep under
those glorious old cedars. Not from the workings of imagination,
for it had never occurred to any of us that the cholera could
possibly affect ourselves, but from the most vulg-ar physical
causes. Chiefly, I believe, from very bad potatoes, whicli were all
we could get, but which we had nevertheless eaten, on the prin-
ciple that travellers must not be squeamish ; and also from the
insanity of sleeping in sheets which had become damp from the
heavy rain and mists, though the tents were jierfectly water-
proof.
Whatever was the cause, I certainly thought my summons had
come ; and felt infinite .satisfaction in the certainty of so beauti-
ful a resting-place — the one in all the world which I should have
selected. Moreover, it was plea.sant to think that I had just
finished a most careful drawing of the green glade, which would
give you all at home a capit,al notion of the place where these
old bones were laid, and that you would never look at it without
remembering the dear old .song that tells how
“ The Indian knows her jilace of rest.
Far in the cedar shade."
It really was quite a throwing away of romance to get well again.
But the truth is, that in one of those tin bo.xes was stowed a
precious store of all manner of useful remedies for possible
evils ; so, what with sulphuric acid and quinine, and brandy and
chlorodyne, but esjrecially the two former, the foul cholera-fiend
was routed ignorniniously.
Then there came a day of most wonderful excitement. Three
tents of owners unknown were j>it<hed one evening iMUieath the
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180
great cedai-a. Now such meetings in tlie wilderness have a charm
of their own. People must be very churlish indeed who cannot
find a few pleasant words for one another under such circum-
stances, and generally sjieaking, they are only too glad to make
themselves agreeable. Sometimes, too, the arrival of the baggage
and the little white tent heralds the most une.xpected meeting
of old friends, whose kindred love of wandering has led them
from opjjosite ends of the earth to the same spot.
On the pre.sent occasion there was good cause for e.xcitement,
for among the servants who had an-ived with the tents we
detected an ayah,’ and suie enough there presently arrived a
lady, the only one whom we met in our wanderings in the cha-
racter of sister gipsy, though we afterwards found two ladies
resident in the fur w'ilds. We did indeed hear of another lady
who had accompanied her husband on a shooting excursion right
into Thibet. She had last been seen vanishing into space on
the back of a yak like I.^na and her lion, and whether they
have ever been heard of since, deponent knoweth not.
One marked peculiarity' of the new comers proved to be a
passion for bezique, which was then the latest novelty. They
seemed to live in a chronic state of bezique, and if they hap-
]>ened to lie in the midille of a game when the hour for marching
arrived, they carefully noted their cards, and renewed their
battle the moment they reacheil the next halt. Notwithstanding
which, however, the two gentlemen of that party had done more
in the way of sport than any others whom we met.
Meanwhile we were having a fair foretaste of the rains,
thunder, lightning, and tempests, and though our social instincts
drew us together for the plea.santest of merry meetings in the
Ilobinson Crusoe bungalow of the Laii-d, we had sometimes to
keep on our waterproofs, and hoist our umbrellas in the house,
and so sat, during the most elaborate of amalgamated dinners,
each cook supplying what he could. How they managed to
cook at all, was a standing mystery.
Eobinsoii Crusoe’s menage was a matter of much interest,
live-stock of various sorts, but especially poultry, which were
in a state of perpetual antagonism with his garden. Poultry, by
the way, was a luxury which we had well-nigh forgotten, being
as unattainable ns beef in this purely Hindu region ; the former
^ Native lady’s idauI.
Z'
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ly« FROM THE HEBRIDES
being as unclean as tlie latter is sacred. But the chief lu.xury
of this home in the wilds, was the excellent white bread, manu-
factured by Pier Bux, the king of the household, who strove
hard to rule his master with the same rod of iron with which
he guided other men, failing in which laudable effort, raa.ster
and servant were in perpetual phases of loggerheads and recon-
ciliation. Not least in that household was a gigantic leopard-
dog, so large, and so fierce and rougli, as to be a terror to all
beholders, while his iron-spiked collar rendered him proof against
sudden assault from nocturnal marauders.
When our evening party broke up, we sallied forth, bearing
lanterns, and picked our way through the wet moss and mire to
the little white tents, which had kept out every drop of rain ;
moreover the carpets had been lifted, and charcoal fires lightetl
all day in a hole in the earth, so that our nests were warm and
snug. Tlie rain had ceased, and the clear stars gave promi.se of
a glorious morrow. Nor were we disappointed. So lovely was
the dawn that we determined to march straightwaj', and get to
higher regions beyond the influence of the rains.
It was a morning much to be reiiiembered. No trace remained
of the dark thunderstorm of yesterday, save that on every side
countless streamlets, clear as crystal, were rushing down every
cleft in the mountains, and dashing over the precipitous i-ocks
in headlong fall, filling the air with a murmurous sound as of
the voice of many waters, which floated upward on the bieeze,
as it “soughed” through the topmost branches of the dark
dreamy ])ines ; and, save where the delicate cloud-shadows
rested for a moment, the whole valley lay bathed in that clear
shining after rain, in which the eastern mind so readily perceives
the glad rejoicing of what we call inanimate nature. The trees
of the forest, the laughing harvest fields, the mountains and
hills, the winds of Gon, and all green things of the earth, yea,
nil the deep-toned harmonies of nature, taking up the chorus of
praise, which lightning and cloud had proclaimed through all
the tumult of the tempest.
At a very short distance from Nachar we fimt caught a
glimpse of that group of snow jieaks, towanls which, we were
specially directing our steps ; as also of the deep wide valley
into which we were about to descend, thence, crossing the
•Sutlej and the Wanga rivers, which here meet, but which must
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. I9I
nevertheless be crossed by separate bridges, our route lay along
the precipitous cliffs on the other side of the Sutlej, which here
narrow into a very confined gorge.
The river here comes down with a frightful rush — its velocity
in the rains being frequently over twenty miles nn hour, and
masses of snow are occasionally washed down, which endanger
the existence of all bridges.
One of these was carried away one beautiful night, when
neither storm nor tempest seemed to threaten evil. Rut when
morning broke, the bridge was gone, and there remained only
a well-defined water line, which left it to be inferred that a large
avalanche must have passed down in the night, having probably
lain wedged in by cliffs, till the pressure of a great body of
water accumulating behind it had caused it to burst down with
overwhelming violence, sweeping all before it.
The bridge built by Capt. I^ng, R.E, which we were to cross
this day, had a narrow escape of being destroyed in its infancy:
a great mass of rock having fallen from a perpendicular clifl'
about 1,500 feet above the bridge — and a large fragment lighted
on the bridge itself, which was partially destroyed.
Just above this point the lovely Wanga river mingles its
crystalline waters with those of the turbid, yellow Sutlej, which
swollen by a vast l>ody of melted snow, rushes impetuously
along, carrj'ing with it whole beds of mica and .sjind; and by
no means improving its own beauty by the addition. The
AVanga itself is a clear and beautiful stream, rushing down with
tremendous violence over huge boulders of water-worn granite.
One of the loveliest expeditions pos.sible lies up this valley, to
the Spitte Pass. It is one of no great difficulty, and one which
no one should mi.ss who can avoid it, at all events as far as the
head of the valley, which is three days’ march.
This bridge at Wangtu is a very fine specimen of the Hima-
layan construction, wherever a .solid roadway is required. It is
built entirely on a principle of leverage. Several large trees
are felled on each side of the river, and their trunks are laid on
eitlier shore, with the narrow ends projecting over the river, and
heavy stones laid over the thick ends to increase their counter-
weight. Cross-bars of wood are then laid over the projecting
ends. Thus the first layer is complete. The process is repeated
again and again, each layer of trees, projecting some feet beyond
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
live 1:11 tl»e two i4 timber at’.irKjiit meet in mid-*ir: and
one TD<jTH layer crowns Ixith. Tb«-n planks laid CTjaswise form
the roadway. Ttie base of the litnV^rs on either side is im-
bedded in eohd masonry. .Stp>D 2 railinss gnard against acci-
dents, and an excellent substantial bridge Is thos formed. Tiie
limljer iretjeraliy u.«ed is the d/odar, which seems almost iin-
peri-hable — prfx>f alike against heat and wet, and all otl*er
inflaences fending to decay.
Such solid hridg«^ as these are. however, by no means of
fre<iueDt occurrence over the larger streams, which are more
fre»iueritly cn>ssed hy Julas or Tviu*; dilfcrent varieties of
r»»jie bridges. In mmf; cstses ropes are slung acnjss from rock
to rock ; from the.se hangs a kind of seat fastened to a triangle,
which slij« along the main rope as the traveller works it with
his hands. Sometimes he sits in a coil of rope and is drawn
over fpjm the opposite side — a very giddy operation, as I can
testify. The more experienced I’aharis disdain any extraneous
aid, and 1 have watched them crawl along the rop»e like monkeys,
just holding on by arms and legs, with the boiling torrent
thundering along far below them, and the knowledge that one
oiornent’s giddiness or hesitation would plunge them beyond all
reach of human aid.
The.se roj>e8 are made of gra-ss, and in an old neglected bridge
they occa-sionally slacken so much as to dip right down in the
middle, and as the great snow waves rise and heap themselves
up in mid-stream they .sometimes reach the mpe, and dash over
the luckless traveller till he is actually drowned. Such an acci-
dent had occurred at the .Tula of Chargaon a few days before
we had to cross by it ; a .sad story which the natives to<jk good
care to ini|)ress on us, by way of encouragement. Sometimes,
tfS), an old rope break.s, and leaves the j)assenger short time for
shrift as the angry waters whirl him playfully along.
Anotlier variety of rojte bridge is a very dangenms species of
ladder ; two ropes slung across the river l)eing connected by
step.s of wood fa.stened at short intervals. Two other ropes act
as supjjorts for the hand, generally attached to the former by an
occasional bamboo. As you pick your steps along the frail
ladder, you see the turbid waters rushing below you, and many
a stout heart has turned sick and giddy before reaching the
opposite shore. Not even a goat can be induced to cross a path
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of suoli open-work constrncfion, .so when a floek has l>een led
to the one sliore, the .shepherd must carry each creature over,
on lii.s own slioulders. 'Wlien acting as bea.sts of burden, they
must of course be unladen, and their little saddle-bags carried
over separately. You can imagine that this is rather serious
work, with a tlock of perhaps one thousand goats !
Sometimes, as we wound securely along the dizzy height, so
comfortably profiting by other men’s labours, the thought would
fla.sh across us of what it must have lieen for the first workers,
and the awful danger of beginning .such a road, winding round
sheer precipices where one false step would hurl the bold crags-
man into an almost fathomle.ss abyss.
Along perjxmdicular cliffs of the very worst description,
where natuml ledges are few and far Iictween, galleries have to
be constructed. The most nblecliml)er in the district will creep
along, where hardly a goat would venture, and will contrive to
bore holes at inten'als of about fifteen feet, and therein fix
strong iron bars, from which to suspend ropes and planks, to
enable his fellows to begin work.
Suppo.se, however, the leader comes to a part of the cliff so
smooth that even he can find no footing, hemu.st scale the cliff,
and either scramble down, a little farther on, or else, fixing an
iron bar at a higher point, must 1>e let down by a rope thence
8us|wnded, till he finds him.self once more on his original
level. Then he must repeat the old ojieration of boring the
rock, and fixing a jumper; after which, a rope bridge must he
suspended between this and the la.st point gained, and men
can then set to work hi bore, and let in bars at the intermediate
points.
Thus, foot by foot, the work pr.igi esses, and every character-
istic of a keen cragsman is called into play — a cool, clear head, a
steady foot ami hand, and great power of endurance.
The mifinished portion of the road is now in charge of Mr.
Cregeen, the “ Road Sahib ” as the people call him, whom we met
on some of his surveying expeditions. His words, and those of
Captain Lang, his predecessor, will best describe this iwrtion of
our route.
" Below .Serahan we find very precipitous cliffs rising .several
thousand feet above the Sutlej. Of tlie.se, the Taranda, Wangtu,
Neoza, Maizong, and Bngi cliffs, are fine exainjiles. and more
VOL II. 0
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194 FROM THE HEBRIDES
jininJ and dan'ierous tliaii anythin}' that 1ms been before attacked
in the construction of the Hindustan and Thiljct road.
" The first passage of the smooth, water-woni, granite face of
the Wangtu cliff, rising like a wall frotn the foaming waves of
the Sutlej as it rushes through the naiTow Wangtu goige, was
a feat possible to but few men in the world, though unhesitat-
ingly executed by lihulku, celebrated as the keenest cragsman
in lJussuhir, who fixed in the crevices of the cliff all the first
irons for the attachment of the rope and planking, on which,
susjmnded above the river, worked the coolies, who constructed
the viaducts.
“ Near I’ogi are precipices of stupendous height, scarcely to be
surpassed in grandeur by any in the Himalayas; and, to carry
a road across their apparently inaccessible faces required bold
and active hill men, careless of being perched on dizzy pinnacles,
boring for blasts ; of being suspended on narrow planks over
infinite space ; or of crawling or creeping where there seemed
no place for hand or foot to advance the work.”
The Kogi and MaizOng cliffs are at an elevation of several
thousand feet above the Sutlej. They have doubtless been
caused by immense landslips, and are very precipitous. The
cliffs are rujiged, many )iarts overhanging, and there are in
many places drops of 500 feet before touching another pro-
jection, whence, rebounding, the hapless climber whose foot
has failed him, must lie hurled down and down, till his
shattered fragments find anything but a resting place, in the
to.ssing raging river.
The Kogi cliff is of very compact gneiss, and, from its continual
tendency to scale, very great additional difbculties arose, as
ordinary methods of bla.sting generally brought down any rock
but that which was intended. For instance, after boring upwartls
of eight hundred mines in one cliff, it was hoped that by
simultaneously firing them a continuous line of fracture would
be produced. Instead of this, all the result was that immense
quantities of overhanging rock were brought down from above,
while the rock over which the road should have lain scaled off
entirely ; the cradles were smashed, the staunchion bare twisted,
serious losses, where every tool and nail has to be carried up liy
coolies from the plains — a march of many days. The weather-
worn rock face, being thus inqiracticable, it was found necessary
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ruK Bo.}| rt.ivr okrat khvlua.
To file* p. ll»4.
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
to cut it back considerably, ami thus reach a mass less liable
to scale.
In the Waii"tu cliff, on the other hand, the chief difficulty lay
in the smooth water-worn granite face, along which at about 100
feet above the water, the road mirst be led — scarcely one crevice,
projection, or ledge marks the slippery face along which men
must crawl. “ If a man had the misfortune to slip or make
a false step, the chances were very considerably against his
ever having another chance. There is really and literally nothing
which a man could hope to clutch ; nor could assistance be
rendered him if he fell. In an instant, the watera of the Sutlej
would hurl him along, ami he would either be dashed to pieces
against a rock or large boulder, or be jammed between a couple
of them.”
These, then, were some of the dangers and difliciilties which
had attended the making of that path along which we now
wound so safely, though in truth it still looked somewhat
“ kittle work,” * as we say in the north, to see the path project-
ing from the smooth granite face, and carried over wooden sup-
ports overhanging the river.
The opposite cliff has its own sad tale to tell. Another of
those terrible accidents when a restive pony backed over the
khad, and the strong right arm that strove to hold it up by main
force, couhl avail nothing; for in the agony of the moment the
rider had fainted, and fallen from her saddle, unconscious of all
the miser}' that in that moment fell on two sunny homes which,
by her "going away,” were left desolatcc
For a considerable distance after crossing the bridge at
Wangtu, our rocky path lay so close above the river t' at its
noise was almost deafening. The vast body of melted snows,
which at this season come rushing down the gorge, swell the
stream to such a size that it goes tearing along in huge, yellow
waves, foul and turbid. It was, therefore, with positive delight
that we turned up a steep zig-zag path which at last brought
us to Urni.
Our recollections of this place are, I fancy, considerably tinged
by the small discomforts of the moment. The fir- clad hills
were round us, and snowy peaks as usual, but my chief impres-
sion is of a night spent in the dirty mess of a half-finished
■ I'oubtful work.
0 2
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l-< FROM THE HEBRIDES
Imni^low, for as wo conM fin<l no convenient place to pitch our
tents, we put up in half-built ro<oni', with a fair view of the sky
throujjh all the chinks. While we sat at supper by a blazin"
fire, a silveiy hill-fox crept up to have a look at ns. We only
caught sight of two of these pretty creatures, ami Ixtth were
war\- enough to cscaj>e, anJ presene their v.aluable fur for their
own benefit.
Next day a beautiful nurch of twelve miles up the Kunaunr
valley brought us alons the face of treniemlous cliffs, with the
river far below, and dark ma.sses of wood, running like broad
shadows right up to the snow.s. While lo«oking at such a scene
without any especial sense of its vastness, it was curious
suddenly to catch some landmark that acted as a scale of
measurement. Here, for instance, where at an imroeasur.ible
di.stance below us flowed the troubled yellow waters of the
Sutlej, I noticed that they were just e<lged with a line of clifl'.
That cliff I knew to be far higher than the highest clilf along
our Moray sea-coast of which we think so much.
And I know too that in every crevice of that rock there grew
tropical plants, such as belong to the plaijis of Imlia, while as
the eye slowly travelled upwanl, it noted one belt after another
of changing vegetation ; and I know that though 1 could dis-
tinguish nothing save a general mass of greenery, each changing
shade of colour marked the plants of divers altitudes, passing
from the cactuses and acacias of the tropics, to the oak and
rhododendrons of cooler levels, thence to the cedar forest,
higher still to the neoza pine, and finally to a fringe of birch, of
jiinijier, and green pasture land, reaching to the very verge of
the snows, where the smooth sheets of dazzling whiteness are
only broken by' the green shadows of glaciers, lying between
huge mas.ses of bare, black rock. On tliose grassy slojjes
above the birch grow cowslip.s and polyanthus, sweet as those
of our own green meadows, and with them beds of straw-
lierries, and other well-known favourites. Thus at one glance
the eye ranged from the torrid to the arctic zone, but it was
only by some such mental eftbrt that it seemed possible to
realize the colossal scale of all around. Sometimes too we
noticed some little atoms of dark foliage, dotting the face of the
precipice, like flies on a castle wall. On nearer aj)proach, these
generally proved to be fine old cedars, who.se gnarled and
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 1D7
twisted roots liud taken a mighty liokl of some crevice, though
their great weather-beaten trunks, and hare, contorted arms,
told what awful battles they had fought with storm and tempest.
Thus, sometimes wuiding along the face of stupendous pre-
cipices, where one false step would have hurled us from tlie
safe path into the immeasurable depths of an almost fathomless
ravine, and sometimes through the cedar forest, we reached the
road bungalow at Kogi. On its balcony, to our dismay, we
detected two topce-wallnhs, or wearers of hats, as white men
are called. A very few minutes, however, sutticed to prove
them both Scots, and nearly akin to friends whom we had just
left in tlie far north ; so it did not take us long to fraternize.
To these were presently added two others, otlieers of the Kitles,
and as we all agreed to make common cause, this halt in the
wilds proved a very pleasant gathering.
Wo did our best to make our meeting suggestive of home,
by producing all the Scotch dishes at our command. At dinner
a famous bowl of hotch-potch (thanks to the admirable i)reserved
tins), and at breakfast Fimlon baddies and genuine jorridge.
There was always some amusement at these amalgamated
dinners, in seeing what each housekeeper had produced. One
w<juld provide Liebig’s soup, cod’s roe, and manaul pheasant ;
another a dish of uhite bait and roast mutton ; a third a genuine
lobster salad (the lettuce sent perhaps for miles by a coolie, from
some oasis in the mountain desert), and a chicore stew ; perhaps
some bear-steaks also, and a jHite de foie gras, also jotatoes,
IM-rhaps curry — rice inevitably — or the young curly tops of
common bracken, stewed with butter, which we then considered
fully equal to asparagus. I cannot say that on repeating the
experiment in Scotland, they seemed quite as good! We also
found that young nettles made capital spinach ; w'alercresses W’e
gathered in the brooks, and green jieas we had imjxjrted from
Kngland! Several other vegetables grow wild, including goose-
berries and rhubarb; but these make too heavy a demand on
limited stores of sugar. We were e.si»ecially charmed at finding
loads of e.xcellent mushrooms on some of the grassy slopes, and
when our gathering exceeded our daily consumj)tiou we had a
grand brew of ketchup, the real uuailuiterated article, with no
fear of fried liver and blacking, or other foreign ingredients.
As I before said the supply ol game is most uncutain, and
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1?« FROM THE HEBRIDES
ibe only totrat that can W jinrc'nased frc*ui the natives is the
weari~jme tm jourt mutton ; even that l«cinj s*->metinie3 diffi-
cult to procure ; while, as I Lave already ol«serred, die absence
of Mohanimedanistn makes itself quickly felt in the com-
missariat, inasmuch as the Hindus consider p-:^ultry too unclean,
and beef too holy for human food.
Therefore for all variety of diet, travellers chiefly depend on
the inestimable tins of preserved meats of all sorts, the value of
which is so well understO'-d by all An^'h>Indians, that one lady
was beard to remark, that doubtless nothing else was ever used at
Her Majesty’s table ! Just imagine tLe luxury of opening a tin
of fresh lobster, or perhaps saliu*>n — p*ossibly a little “tender”
as the Cockneys say, and with the addition of excellent lettuce
and cucum’oers from the Road Sahib’s ganlen, making a salad
that would rejoice the veriest gvurnKt in the kingdom. I
dwell at some length on all this good fare, fur T am telling you
of a great social gathering — a sort of Lord Mayor’s feast. Our
d.iily bread w;ts of course very much simpler, having for its
main feature a jxit au fni wherein divers meats generally
found themselves reduced to a savoury hash, always ready on
the shortest notice.
Our feast was spread in the open verandah, whence, looking
upward beyond the awful desolation of that chaotic waste of
rocks, “the tumbled fragments of the hills,” towered three
mighty i)iunacles of wliitest snow, with blackest peaks — peaks
of hard black rock, so sleep that even the light snow could there
find no resting-place, only here and there a ledge where it might
cling, marking the barren precipice with veins of silver. The
great central mass, known as tlie Raal Dhang, rises to 21,000
feet; while on either side the greater and lesser Kylas follow
closely, being ujiwards of 19,000. All day long we watched the
ever-vary ing lights and shadows playing over those untrodden
ice fields, a.s they glowed fiery red at morning and evening, or
changed to di epest pur|>le as storms swept over them. But
oftener Ilian all, the cold white snow glistened with strange,
spirit light against a pale, green sky, w hile strange, fair vapours
drifted restlessly to and fro, half .shrouding those phantom peaks.
Tlicii, as our glance turned downw'ard, we looked beyond a
waving sea of foliage, the tops of apricot and other forest trees,
to anollier Va.st preciiiice of yellowish stone, dotted with old
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199
gnarled cedars, each one a study for an artist. Beyond tliat,
again, rose hundred.s of tiny-terraced field-s ; then a great cedar
forest, shelving downward for thousands of feet, till it reached
tlie waters of the Sutlej, which lay hidden in the black chasm
fur below, only l)etraying its presence by the hoarse, hollow '
murmur of its sullen waters, as they boiled and foamed and
thundered on their way. On the opposite clitf the waters,
rushing down from the melting snow, had formed a torrent
which leapt from height to height in its headlong career till it
dashed ov'er the iirecipicc in a cloud of silvery spray, seeming
to lose itself in rainbow light.
As there was no convenient level spot close to the bungalow
w here we could pitch our tents, the previous occupants resigned
half the house to us. A tiny wooden room fell to my share, in
which I found a strange reminder of England, for some previous
tenant had papered it all over with the Illusfratcd London News
of 18()4 ; so when 1 awoke in these distant regions, I found
myself surrounded with pictures of St. (Jeorge’s Chapel, Windsor,
and the Prince of Wales’s maiTiage ; Edinburgh illuminated ;
quiet reaches of the Thames, and all the principal pictures that
we remembered in that year’s Iloyal Academy.
It was a pleasant vision of home, but soon forgotten in the
entrancing beauty of the reality before me. The early dawn
throwing its flood of pearly light on the peaks right in front of
us, and revealing cliffs, crevasses, and glaciers vast and won-
derful ; while all the valley below lay bathed in silver mist.
Looking up to that mysterious world of whiteness, we could not
but share the awe with which the Paharis gaze on those pathle.ss
snows, where human foot may never hoiie to tread. For they
believe the mighty Kylas to be the chosen dwelling-place of
the Great Spirit, chief of all the gods ; and heaven, they say,
lies high among those inaccessible peaks. The affinity of this
word Kylas to the Latin Cielus, and that of Himalaya w ith the
German Himmel, is interesting to note. The word Kylas
would seem to be applied to any especially heavenly spot, as
we find the Kylas temples at Eliora hewn in the solid rocks.
We also find the same faith wdiich invests the hill tops with a
sense of religious awe, in Southern India, where the Todas point
out Makarty Peak in the Xeilgherries as the portal of heaven,
whence not only the souls of their dead, but also those of the
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
spirits of the Lufl’aloes slain at their funerals, pass into the
»li\‘amy unknown worlil.
Such of the Paharis as care to find a name for the Great and
Awful Spirit, s;iy that on the Kylas Siva sits enthroned,
to-jether with his wife, Dur";! or Parvati, who is the faTonrite
pnldoss of the hills. She has another name, which describes
her as the lady of the fishy eye At her temples there are
frrvpu'utly tanks full of sacred fish. What conDtotiou n«y
exist K'tweeu these and her eyes I cannot say.
l<ih)kinjj up the valley, vve could discern two villages — one
clinging t4> the face of the dill' among the cedars; anotlier
pendu'd on a little plateau far below, jutting out from the pred-
pice, so that on three sides this village on the clifl' liteially
iivi-rlning the stream. How any children survived so dangerous
II nursery was a standing miracle. Someone suggested that
llioy were telheivd, which possibly might be of some use.
I.iteially, 1 have scnimhled through such villages as would
have turned most heads giddy. Luckily for me, however, my
early training in scramhling along the steep cliffs of the Fiud-
hoin has made me proof against such weakness.
Ill tlie tiny, terraced fields the people were working busily.
.Siiine had already gathered in their little crop, and were
ploughing llio land witli just as rude a plough as the easfJirom of
tSkye ; merely ii crooked piece of slick, of which one end acts as
II handle, while tiio other is shod with iron, and tears up the
ground. 'I'lu! crojis were of many sorts— chiefly Indian com. and
It deep ciiiiison grain with scarlet leaves, which produces a field
red as Idood, and of w Inch a red pottage is made ; in colour, at
least, like poor E.sau’s pottage of lentils. They grow lucerne,
grass, and green stuff for forage; also buckwheat, and a very
tall corn, hanging in a bunch of loose grain like giant oats — a
very jiretty crop as the breeze ripples over it
We were told that the peojile sometimes have much ado to
protect their fields from the bears when these come down in
search of wild apricots. We should have been uncommonly
glad if they had come while we were there, as a supply of
fresh liear’s grease would have been particularly usefuL Hut the
gentlemen loileil in vain ; and as a general result of two or
three days of stiff walking right up among the snows, would
V.ring us txirk a fiw snow lialls. and tantalize us with accounts
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. 'TO THE HIMALAYAS. -.'Ol
of the delicious strawberries on which they had feasted. They
only shot one bear all the time we were out; and so far from his
supplying us with bear’s grease, the natives forthwith ate him up
to the uttermost fragment, and left us only his skin as a trophy.
Meanwhile the apricot crop w'as safely gathered in, and the
golden fruit was spread in masses on the flat roofs of the
houses, and there left to dry in the sun. They are then
pounded into flour, and form the staple food of the I’aharis,
to whom attah, or grain flour, is far too e.xpensive a lu.xury
for ordinaiy use. From the habit, which I suppose is neces-
sary, of gathering the fruit before it is fully ripened, the flour
is very sour, and when made into gruel, tastes much like
tomato sauce — a gootl accompaniment to more solid food, but
very poor diet. No wonder that the men to whom this sour
porridge is daily food should so quickly succumb to the cholera.
The village on the cliff of which I spoke just now is a fair
sample of many others. It seems as though they w'ere invariably
perched on the very verge of the steepest precipices, and in the
most inaccessible places. Eiich house is built of w-ood, and
several storeys high, with widely projecting roofs and balconies,
where all manner of scenes in domestic life reveal themselves to
the passers-by. The roofs are often high and |>eaked, cornj)ased
of heavy slates of irregular form, and very thick. Sometimes
they are made of great cedar planks ; occasionally they are
made flat, supporting a wooden cistern to catch the rain-water.
On many houses you see a luxuriant crop of cucumbers, vines,
and gourds, climbing all over the roof and carved wood-work,
twining round arches and pillars, the large fruit covering even
the roof.
Formerly it was common to build houses of five, or even six
storeys high : now' they rarely exceed three ; though some of the
old sort arc still standing. One sportsman mentioned having
seen three such, near the source of the Gangc.s, that were six
storeys high ; he had also taken the trouble to measure a house
door which was made of a single plank of cedar-wood, one foot
thick, and six feet wide. The lower storey is almost invariably
of rough stone-w'ork, being the cattle stable ; an outer staircase
leads to the dw’elling-house, the door of which is generally so
low' that you must stoop to enter. I’he women have no separate
quartern, as in the plains, but the family live together, much as
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
'-■•.::a.T...::.i_T :_rr ’.•.c.^es atv wL;:e-wushed
a. L:'»’-r-/-r, z>;c Ikz-.u aav «p.«ial cleaali-
1^4 •-,( ic.<i iS :!:-rr“ L* tij ?< rt :c Jirt of
ill is ill-.Tr-ci: r.. I i. z>:<. zl^zk, however, that
th*~e T.Ilij'ii ire i5 :'.il is ziiizj cf cir owx
fjzza thrr.z wl..Ii tet-LS rreuilT ^heir drrr 'o:av I sav tbeir
rl'ilnrs!* ■.■! C'.I-^rr ?, ij lr.e in.-; :~z :■( ptr.e ari'i ce-iir w.»i which
is i.'irac ia tl.e c — — r .-?} .ess r-ccses: ar?i n-' nirl o.'uld be more
sd'-icv 11.1 ■s*»c V iu Its irtcsiis. tw 'tra It the time it boms with
a cI-siT, miiv ILiie wLi.ii cheers the inrmitcs thr':!t^h tlie Ioqj;
» inter ever.ir. rs. while tLev whe iwiy the fcvurs with stories
an l wil l leren-ii of o’.i a.iTeii:Tire on hhl .-r In f-.-rest ; stories of
the cLise, or trsiiiti. ns of ■ienhe_" .Li an*i weir<l spirits, all of
which, they, like o'lr own oM H rhl'n-iers. si-:: or recite, as they
sit pjond the re-1 w...-! tre: s'lih st.,ri-:S as hn'i favour With a
ri'» superstitious an l in-irlmiive; p*;. llinr the dirk forest, an*!
the blue ice-cavems w;;h a st irit w-.n-i such as that reci emized
by our foref.iti.crs ; w hen tne s- i.-Lic_' of the wind Ufore a
o-athering tempest, was to them the si-^h of the mountain sp>irit,
and the vt/ice of the ru^hin^ storm w Lisp-ere^l of terrible, dark
demons of the nirht, fiyiim on the w:Il wind, learinu to some
•ievoteil wretch the dread d-s-m of death — when every mountain
aD'l valley wus the h' Uie of s«.-me mysterious creature, and Echo,
“ the .Sju of the li >ck. ’ was as traly a living lieing as any of
those now revere-nce’l by these ralniris.
Like all dwellers amoDii the mountaius, these men have a
petssi'mate love of home, aud of their dear native valleys. Of
their extnionliuary honesty I have already spwken, and of that
we had "'»1 cause t<< sp-eak well, having never mis-sevl the value
of a farthiiv,r at their hands. Their character for truthfulness
d<jts not stand so hi-sh. Those wh<) have most to do with
them siy they cannot rely on their \vi»rd, aud that they not only
lie without scnijile, but are Sc'arcdy annoyed at l>eing detecteil.
Moreover ti> prove how truly “ evildoers are evil-tleemers,”
they are always ready to accuse one another of falsehootl, and
are said to lie vindictive and envious among themselves.
Of that we say nothing — to us they seemed a cheery race,
generally ready to make the lest of things ; but then tlie white
skin always secures mote or less ready service from the dark, it
lieing piart of the native character to submit at once to piroveii
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208
superiority, whether of intellect or brute force— tq refuse things
to a man weak aud helpless, and obey with alacrity in obedience
to sharp words. So that sometimes the supplies of goods and
of coolies that had been refused to eourteous demands have been
brought quite pleasantly in obedience to threats.
Still the hill men are undoubtedly very independent, and
dearly like to .show off occasionally. Thus in some of the more
remote districts, where English influence has less authority,
sportsmen have sometimes been compelled to give up their
choicest hunting-grounds, because the village mates have point-
blank refused to provide coolies ; and not one would volunteer,
tliough oflered any wages they liked to ask — a state of things
not suggestive of deep poverty. These villages also utterly
refused to supply aheej) and flour at any price.
One curious thing that we were told was, that from some odd
superstition, akin perhaps to the feeling which makes a Higliland
wife speak of her husband as “ Iliiusel ” without mentioning any
name, these I’ahari women have the strongest objection to utter
their husband’s name, and that he, likewise, will always call his
wife by that of tlie village from which slie came, but never by
her own.
There is a curious distinction in the social customs of the
people in the tipper ami lower part of this valley. Below
Wangtu it is said that jiolygamy prevails, as elsewhere ; every
man buying liLs wives from their parents for a given number of
rupees. When he is tired of one of these, he sells her to his
neighbour for something under cost price, and purchases a new
inmate for the zenaim.
Farther up the valley, however, where the people are very
poor, and the tiny ridges of cultivation will not support large
families, polyamlry is common, as among the Todas in the
Neilgherries, and certain of the Cingale.se trilies. The elder
brother of a family chaoses one wife for himself and all his
brothera The children are common property, and seem equally
beloved by all the family, so they at least, do not suffer by the
arrangement. Possibly this curious state of domestic life may
account for the fact, so often commented on, of the intense love
of the Paharis for their children, for whose sakes they are con-
tent to make any sacrifice, whereas this sentiment is by no means
reciprocated by the rising generation, who, as a rule, are cruelly
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
2v4
ne-jlectfal ivirenv*. eVr" iLr i.; tiers, who, it is said,
generally nurse their ofs'nnr f.r ;wj or three Te<iri
The sisters of U.e wife. lei!i_- c:n?iJere-i ' drCriiueaUls,” are
j-lace-l ia Bui this: c nveLts. w_et.;t they o>_n:e forth to work in
the delis, or is Many n.ru ais-o fzl Louies in these
convents, thourh this seen^ rather a n_itt-:j of sooLil convenience
than of rtiirious freiizr.
This extra.-riicury, an:, to • ~r revoitintr system of
fraternal p>.>!yan<iry, e'>':.’v;n-;-i with ;Li: of nunneries as a home
for the suj-erriu'Vos women, is c>>uin.:.a thrmuh-va: TLil^rt, and
all rt'uioas where its lanuu -ue is kru: ia other woris, it is
legally rec> gnized ly mat.y inihi -:.s cf the Turanian rai-e, wlio
find it e.vpe-litnt, l- ;h on a.e>:r.nt < f the deep f-.verty of the
sterile land, whkh makes in-rea^e of j - 1 •iati' a sj nudesindile,
and also be'Cause of the danr-rs an I •iirh.ulties wl.ieli wiuld
inevitaldy sumauud any vr. ntan kf: al. ne in her reu.ote home,
during the pr:dong'-d a', seuces of l.vr 1 rl, wLrther he 1-e en-
gaged in tratha or in the cha-e ; whereas, in i’..e ea^e of two or
more hr:>thers. owning hut one tired le. it must he a rare occur-
rence when kith or all are con;{«elIe I to 1-e al«H ct at once. .So
it seems ih.it somethirg may le said in crfrnce of even so
.stauluig a social arraiigenieiit as this, at le-ast among races of so
phlegmatic a temjierainent as the Thibetans.
In this valley we first saw g.\its employed as bea.sts of burvlen,
bringing the pn>lucts of Thils-t f>r barter in the lower lands.
consist chietly of wo*ii and talt. the latter brcuight from
the “ salt-licks,” where it seems to ooze from the rocks on the
high stepfies.
The goat.s go in large flocks, each l>eing laden with a small
pack like two saddle-bags ; each goat carrying eiglit seers (si.x-
teen jKiunds). A small child generally walks at the head of each
flock, it.s little dark shaven head lieing a curiosity in itself.
.V'veral goat-herds are of course in charge, but so great is the
troulile of catching and loading a flock of perhaps a thousand
goats, that they are often not unloadeil for two or three days and
nighlH, The long string winds its dangerous way among the
cnigs, for rnany a weary cost, and when at last they reach some
<)uiet nook where they may halt in safety — something as near
akin to “green jiastures beside still waters,” a.s Himalayan
VJillcyB can yiehl — then the flocks aie turned adrift, the little
\
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. ' 20.S
black tcnt.'i of camels' hair are ])itclie»l, the oooil.s are .stored
under canvas, and the Tartar encampment is complete.
The goats are generally the jiroperty of Lulakli merchants, a
curious-looking race with the jollicst good-tempered faces, always
ready for a laugh ; a chai’acter borne out by their invariable
kindliness to whoever they have to do with. They have the
oblique eye.s and flat features of Cliina, with the nio.st placid
countenances ; and are robust and muscular. They are dirty
l>eyond description, with heads of rough hair never combed since
they Mere born. Some, liowever, remedy this by cropping their
hair like convicts, and M’earing it about an inch long. The
women have, at some remote period, dressed theirs elalforately
in countle.ss small jdaits, generally all caught liack together, and
twistetl into a thick jiig-tail, tipped with a woollen tassel. Acmss
the head from the forehead they invariably wear a strip of dark
cloth, encrusted n ith every jewel they can command, chiefly
very lai^;e, coarse tunjuoises, tMO or three inches in diameter,
and stuck on about an inch apart. This hangs right doM-n the
back, the principal Moman of the party having invariably the
large.st gems. They sometimes M’ear good strings of amber, to-
gether M'ith the commonest English l.)eads.
Wo were told that their houses in Ladakh are generally
M-hiteNvashed, and coloured M'ith broad bands of red, yellow, or
blue. It is curious that people caring thus to colour their homes
.should dress so dingily. Men and women dre.ss just alike in
tilouse and trousers of coarse woollen stuff ; and jackets of divers
skins. The blouse, like that of the I’ahari.s, is tied in at the
M'ai.st, and made to bag, so that the bosom becomes a convenient
recejgacle for alt manner of treasures; little balls of dough, made
of coarse flour; little packets of tea; a little M’OfMlen .saucer,
tobacco, knives, string, bundles of m’ooI, and small tobacco-pipes,
in form much like a common “cutty pipe.’’ A Mrotnlen spoon is
generally stuck in the girdle. The men, like the women, wear
necklaces, bracelets, and amulets ; chains of bright metal, and
ornamental boxes for flint and steel. Their shoes are of coarse
grey yarn, and soled with the same material, M'hich gives the foot
a grip ns though walking in stockings ; I noticed that our servants
from the plains genendly M'ent bari'hmt on any diflicult ground,
their smooth-soled slippers being ill adapted for rough walking.
Many of these merchants had come across immensely high
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VA FROM THE HEBRIDES
wmietimes tlirouf;li stonii and snow. Even tlie Paliaris
tlieniscivos siifTer nmcli from sickness and hejidaclie owing to
the rarifiwJ atinosplicre of these high levels ; also fi-oin languor
and dilliculty of breathing. They have great faith in certain
apricot cakes, which are supposed to l)e a good remedy. It
seerii.s to l>e only men who suffer, as dogs and loaded sheep are
a[iparently happiest when nearest heaven. It seems, however,
that this oj>pre.s.sion is not felt at so low an altitude a.s on Euro-
jssin mountains. In the Alps, for instance, men say that they
can hardly breathe at 1 j,000 feet, while on these passes there
nirely seem.s any great ditliculty even at 18,000. One gentleman
returning from Thibet told us he had felt no inconvenience
whaU'ver at that height.
A similar difference seems to exist as to the limit of eternal
si.ow, which certainly is very much higher here than in the
Aljts, where 8,885 feet is stated to be the average snow-line.*
Thi.s is said to l>e subject to modifying influences, such as the
neighlsnirliriojl of much water, which should warm the atmo-
Hjihere. Yet here, where the va.st ma.ss of land with Imixlly any
water ((a^rtuinly no lakes) wotdd seem to demand a lower snow-
line, it is certaiidy very much higher. The level varies with
climate. Y(;t on the Himalayas the snow-line is c,alculated
at an avemge of 10,000 feet on the southern slopes, and 17,400
on the northern, the south btung invariably ns we have seen
the bleaker nsp<!ct, while the more sheltered north, absorbs all
richness of vegetation.
Among the chief inconveniences of which men complained on
these high jjasses were the excessive alternations of heat and
■ Tlii> Al|« in »onn> pliiccs extend from the 44th to the 4Sth parallel of North
latitude, amt the niMS of the Himalaj-na from ahont the 27th to the 40th a
dilfrrenre in latitude whieh accounts for the higher snow-line. To any general
statement howi-ver, concerning snow-lines, those of the Iliinalavas fonn a striking
exception. The line i* ahmil 4,000 fert hiijhfr on the north than on the south
aiile, owing to the greater depth of snow which falls on the son'h side, and to
the greater dryness of the climate of Tliil>ct on the north, which increa<ie.s the
evaporation and the heating power of the solar rays, and to the bare rocks and soil
of the north absorbing more heat than the southern surfaces which are densely
covenal with vegetation. The immense range of the Ilimalayas, which extends
over more than 22 degrees of Ka.st longitude, forms a screen which intercepts
and condenses most of the moisture whieh the winds carry up from the Indian
Ocean and deiaisit on the trmthem face of the mountains either in rain or snow,
the quantity of rain measured at a considerable altitude having been known to
amount to 600 inches in a year. — E d.
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207
coUl. Of course an atinospliere so mrified can lioUl but little
moisture, and the clear air allows the sun's rays to strike
with very great heat during the day. This is succeetled by
intensely cold nights, and dew, of coui-se, is almost unknown.
Few travellers start on such a journey without j)roviding
slielter for their servants, but tliese, in any case, suffer very
severely from cold, in spite of hunting out the warmest nooks
under the lee of big stones, and building up eartli-walls round
their little tents. The coolies lie curled up in their plaids, or croon
over the big fire wliicli must l>e kept up for fear of stray Irears.
Wliite men and dark are alike subject to agonizing attacks of
snow-blindneas, from tlie terrible glare and wind. It is said to
Ite positive torture ; though there is nothing like inflammation
of the eye : only a convulsive spasm causing the eyelid to close
involuntarily with such force as to pre.ss upon tlie pupil, which
seems to burn as tliough on fire, and the only relief is incessant
h,ithing in ice water. This may continue for two or three days,
during which, if it is necessary to continue the inarch, the
sufferer has to be led by the hand, and goes tottering along
in blind agony. After a while the pain rapidly subsides, and the
eye generally seems none the wor.se.
Some of the gentlemen who returned from these higli levels
gave us most tantalizing descriptions of tlieir wild magnificence.
Their camping-ground Imd been, [lerhaps, on some great moraine.
on the verge of some miglity glacier, which, they said, seemed to
glimmer in the darkness with something like jiliosphoric light ;
its edges of clearest green, and its depths of an intensely deep
cobalt blue. All round them were piled stupendous masses of
black rock, heaped together in wild confu.sion, with pinnacles of
ice, and seas of mi.'cetl ice and snow, which, however, was too often
dirty and soiled witli muddy earth, in fact rather a hideous
object. But there were deep fissures in the ice-cliffs, and dark
rocky ravines, half choked with great boulders of rock and frag-
ments of far-away hills, brought thither by the ever-moving
glaciers, in their slow, sure wanderings.
Of the distant views their praise was not .so warm. Generally
tiiey could see only the next ridge, or at best a sea of wavy
mountain ranges, just crested with billowy snows and glaciers,
so they comforted us by declaring the views we saw at our lower
levels were in reality far lovelier; an unction so flattering to the
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208
FROM THE HEBRIDES
soul of a bail walker that I trieil liar.l to believe it ; ami to be
satisfied with our nine thousand feet, which was the average
height of our camping-grounds.
There is one phase of tlmt upi>er world which we would fain
have seen ; when the ice-field is dotted all over with ice-pillars,
six or eight feet in height, alwut the thickness of a man’s laxly ;
each supporting a great block of stone, much larger than itself,
as a capital ; something like a huge mushroom-bed, or like some
marvellous Druuls’ temple, with a thou.sand pillars. It is sup-
posed that these blocks have fallen on the ice-field, when at a
much higher level, and that it Iv.vs gradually melted down, save
where these, acting as a sun-shade, have sheltered the ice, and
so preserved these slender columns, which, however, are always
gradually melting, giving way at the ba.se, where the sun’s rays
can strike soonest. Then new blocks fall, and repeat the
process. Sometimes a fresh avalanche sweeps down from al>ove,
and then it may bo long years before the ice-pillars are again
formed, so that the traveller who has climbed these heights on
])urpose to behoM the scene, de.scribed by others, may chance to
find it all burieil deep beneath the snows.
Akin to these Himalayan ice-columns are the stone-capped
mud columns in the valley of Botzen in the 'Tyrol; where
hundreds of such pillars, some twenty, some fifty, and some a
hundred feet high, are now standing. The stone capitals brought
there in bygone ages by the great ice-rivers, have protected the
earth beneath them from the perpetual, perpendicular action of the
rains, which have washed away the soil fnuu the re.st of the valley.
Well, as wc could not reach this wonderful ice-world, we con-
trived to be nncommoidy happy at our Immbler level, exploring all
manner of lovely nooks in clitf and forest. Nowhere did wc find
more beautiful groups of gnarled old cedars than tho.se clinging to
the face of the ]irccipice at Kogi the extraordinary richness of
colouring of those red steins and grey rocks, with many-coloured
lichens ; — the gi’cat, twisted roots, and weiixl, dead arms are alike
bleached pure white ; while here and there the storm has torn oft'
some great limb, revealing an intensity of orange that painter’s
bnish can hardly imitate. Cadmium and burnt sienna are pale
Iwfore such cedar-wood in sunlight. And then the intense
shadows from that dark foliage ! And beyond all, the hills and
deep valley in ])urple shadows and grey mist.
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Our next march lay along the face of a stuixjiulous preci])ice
— the Maizong cliff; a sheer fall of several thousand feet, de-
clared by the engineers to be probably the mightiest precipice in
all the Himalayas. After a couple of miles, the angle of the
ground allows cedare to find a hold, so our path lay in deep
forest gloom. Tar l>elow, we couhl catch glimp.ses of a whitish
line, that wa.s in truth the lx)iling torrent, whose voice mellowed
as it rose through the still air. Suddenly, as we rounded a
corner, we seemetl to have entered some other world. Before
us lay the sweetest, greenest valley, watered by sparkling
bnx)ks half hidden by tall bracken. Meadows of rich grass
were golden with large yellow buttercups, and quiet, Mell
cultivated fields lay beyond. It was more like a bit in
Berkshire than anything else I know, with the addition of a
background of low Scotch hills. This is the Happy Valley of
Chini. Here, near a group of tall dark pines, stands a
bungalow built by I>onl Dalhousie, who delighted in this jdace.
Since he left India it has been a refuge for all travellers, but
is now lieing allowwl to fall to pieces for want of the simplest
repairs.
When I say these green meadows were suggestive only of
England, I speak of course of one half of the picture. The other
side remained unchanged ; there were the same huge terraces of
dark granite, the same ridges of crags and icy-rocks, the same
wild barren expanse of desolate grandeur, and the same three
mountain-tops — “three silent pinnacles of aged snow” — reaching
up to heaven.
I found a lovely halting ground beneath a clump of apricot
and larger trees, and let my brown brothers go and amuse them-
selves in the village. It was so delightful to wander by those
tiny rippling burns, gathering large marsh buttercu{>s and fresh
watercresses ; or in the hot noon to rest on some cool bank of
fern and mo.ss l(K)king up through the tremulous pale-green
cloud to the tender blue overhead ; or watch the dancing light
reflected from glos.sy leaves on to the white stems, which else
were hidden in shade. And ever and anon came a sound of
flapping wings, an undertone of murmureus hidden waters.
“ Tlie song of bird and boe,
Tho chorus of the brccrcs, streams, and groves.
All the great music to which nature move.*!."
VOL. II. t’
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
rrcsently tlieve came past me groups of laughing girls with the
musical voice so common among the Pahari women. They
were got up in their best, with sweet flowers in their hair ; one
of them wore a vest of pure white linen, which was very un-
usual. Her hair had just been done in countless fresh plaits,
and twisted with silver chains. Both she and her companions
wore an unusual number of silver ornaments, and all looked
bright and pleasant. I cannot imagine why these girls are so
much better-looking than the men. Some of them walk quite
l>eautifully, with light graceful carriage.
These, I believe, were liound for some wedding festivities.
We were told that one dish at a Pahari wedding feast is
roast goat; the goat, having been sacrificed to the gods, has had
his head cut ofl’ at one blow. He is merely “ gralloched,” * and
is then roasted without even lieing skinned. This nice dish is
eaten with ghfr and sweetmeats.
Three miles beyoinl Chini we came to Pangi, one of the
most picturesque of the very striking Himalayan villages ; it
seems as if the people purposel}" selected the steepest precipices
and the most inaccessilile cliffs there to perch their eyrie. Here
the highest available point is crowned with a temple like a very
large rhdiet ; thence all down the face of the hill the houses
nestle among apricot trees and other foliage. Eight alx>ve the
river one group of houses occupies the top of a projecting crag,
with the river Iwiling below. Surely these hill babies must
need double care from their giiardian angels.
This, I think, was quite the most beautiful spot where we had
yet lx*en. The valley was more open, the expanse of snow
wider, the foreground more striking. One magnificent group of
old gnarled cedars overhung the path, and carried the palm over
all we had yet .seen. Half a dozen stems each from fifteen to
twenty-five feet in circumference alt started from one twisted
mass of roots which turned themselves snake-like in every
crevice of the rock face A second great cedar clo.se by met
the first overheiid, and their branches interlaced, framing a
l»eautiful mountain torrent that ru.shed down through dark pine
forest from a new ma.ss of snows that had just opened to our
view. For we were now in the heitrt of the snows, and white
crests rose ou every side of us.
* Ha.l the ontiailM removed.
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i>K.oi»u:-i at i*an«ji.
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
211
That cedar group gave me pleasant work for several days ;
though sometimes it was nither awkward to “dodge” the little
stones that rolled down the crag, and were uncomfortably sug-
gestive of larger ones in store, such as occasionally come
crashing down from far up the mountain side, leaving the un-
happy traveller whose path they may cross short time for shrift.
One such grievous accident occurred at Siiida, where four men
of the Governor-General’s band were crushed in a moment.
They were four brothers sitting together in a bullock-cart, which
slowly toiled up the hill, while the father and another brother
walked on in front. Suddenly, without a moment's warning, an
immense mass of earth fell from the cliff right upon the cart,
crushing the uiducky inmates and breaking the leg of the
driver. The bullocks escajx;d unhurt It so happened that
Lord Mayo and one of his staff were passing within sound of the
crash, and hastened up in time to help the wretched father in
extricating the bodies of his sons.
So you can imagine that on the whole I felt a good deal safer
w’hen sitting under a large apricot tree drawing the village, to the
immense amusement of the inhabitants, w'hose acquEiintance with
white women was very limited. Our watches delighted them ex-
ceedingly. They would listen with astonishment, then as they
moved off we could hear them repeat tick-tick to one another.
But the unfailing source of delight was my opera-glass, with
which they could explore some of tlie maiwels of that icy world
to which no human foot might penetrate. And many a long
hour’s solace did this aflbnl to the patient brownies, while they
sat waiting during the mysterious process of making pictures.
In general these were my sole companions from early dawn till
they carried me back to camp at night, and leal, kindly High-
landers they proved. Sometimes they were of a musical turn,
and their weird, monotonous songs with abrupt ending reminded
me strangely of those which but a few months before were sung
to us by the Ixiatmen of the Hebrides. 'This resemblance often
struck me forcibly, when in the evening a wild, wailing song
rose from some of the temples, recalling some old Gaelic psalm,
till I almost fancied myself once more on a brae side in the
bonnie north, instead of being in the cool shadows of these
spectral hills.
I use the word “ cool shadows ” with good reason, for nowhere
!• 2
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
are you more vividly conscious of the sun’s presence ; so long
as you are in the shade you feel almost chilly, as the cold breath
from those white snows blows upon you. Yet you could not
move one step into the sun without your thick sun-hat and
white umbrella. In sketching I always had a great uinbivlla
pitched above that. Then in good, thick, woollen clothes you
might sit or walk just as you would do in Scotland, and I must
add that woollen under-raiment is a matter of very much more
serious importance here than ou our own hills. I told you that
all these women wear thick woollen materials with bright stripes.
<'Ot»UE4 TiSUkR-KoX
It so happened that my last investment in Skye had been in a
fishwife’s petticoat of many colours. This greatly took the
faney of these people, and I constantly noticed tliem quietly
take up a comer and feel it, and then discuss it among them-
selves, so perhaps the I’ahari weavers have adopted a new thing
in stripes d r£cossaiisf.
After the cringing manner of the natives of the plain there is
something verj' pleasant in the frank, cheery way these people
come up to you ; not caring to conceal their wonder and interest
L
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 213
at the curious and almost unknown variety of the species that
has come among them. They show you their ornaments and
inspect yours with such endless amusement. "We tried to per-
suade some of them to sell us their amulets, and curiously
wrought knives, hut without success. They had no objection,
however, to sell us tinder-bo.xcs of curious patterns, and a con-
siderable variety of the bmss brooches with which every girl,
however poor, fastens her plaid. These vary from three to eight
inches in diameter. The actual brooch, and very peculiar pin
are of precisely the old Celtic pattern as worn in Scotland and
Algeria, and as dug up in Irish turf bogs, lint the simple old
form has lieen adapted to Oriental taste by the addition of two
elalxirate circular wings, so that the form of the ornament is now
a trefoil. To the brooch is attached a bi-ass chain with sharji
hook, which catches the plaid on the shoulder for additional
security, and I am told that some of the old Scotch brooches
have the very same. These brooches histen the heax'y plaid of
striped colours very much like those worn in our own lligh-
lands, and caught in precisely similar folds.
The writers’ inkhorns are also curious. They are made of
VTOUght silver or bnuss, and have a bottle fastened alongside of
a case to hold pens or reeds. They are worn in the belt like a
dagger, just like tho.se alluded to by Ezekiel' when addressing
the children of Israel in the Kabylonian captivity ; that cap-
tivity whence they never returned. So possibly if there be any
truth in the theory that some of the lost tribes did find a refuge
in the mountains of India, they may have brought these ink-
horns with them, as well as those more curious Eastern customs
we have already noticed.
We had now got fairly beyond the influence of the rains, and
if only “ leave ” had permitted us to linger, we might have re-
mained in this paradi.se with the blissful consciousness that not
one drop of rain could come near us. As we looked down the
valley whence we had come, the dark lowering clouds told
very plainly what a wet world lay there, while we were revelling
in unchanging sunshine. Just imagine the artistic delight of
returning day after day to your sketching ground with the cer-
tainty of seeing just the same light you saw ye.sterday and the
day l)efore that I
* 1 liaj*. is. 2, II.
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214 FROM THE HEBRIDES
If I had not far to go aud so could dispense with bearers, a
nice, venerable-looking old man was always on the look-out to
carry my goods ; then he w'ould ensconce himself as watchdog
under some fine old tree. One day I was conscious that a third
person had joined us. Struck by the unwonted silence I looked
up to see a study worthy of Murillo. A strikingly handsome
girl, with clear, olive complexion just flushed with pink, and
large, iwnsive, brown eyes with silken fringe, sat under a great
apricot tree. The venerable old head rested on her knee while
she pursued most successful entomological researclies in the
elf locks, just as in the old ballads, the unkempt warriors,
returned from their forays, did lay their heads on the lap of some
fair princess, who doubtless performed the same kind office.
A MUtrXTAlX PATRIAI.CH.
while the knight recounted his adventures ! In the present in-
stance the old patriarch was too happy for words, but lay still
in the cool shade, lazily cracking apricot stoues with an expres-
sion of serene enjoyment. Just imagine my feelings! But
there was no use in being disgusted, it was as natural a part of
village toilette as the work of the barber in the plains; and one
which we constantly saw being quietly performed on the open
balconies for the edification of all passers by — girls thus tended
their lovers, and mothers their children, and as Paddy observed
on the subject of picking up wee beasties, “ indeed there was no
question of picking — he just took them as they came ! ”
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. ai5
Sometimes wliere a tame monkey forms part of the estal>-
lishment it is considered immensely amusing to let him sit on
the shoulder of one of the family diligently seeking for hidden
treasures. The creature beats his preserves with the same neat-
ness and regularity that you may observe any day in the zoo-
logical garden.s, but I must say he keeps his own hair a good
deal neater than the tangled unkemjtt jungle provided for him
by his human descendants.
We were now in the grape country ; and from about this
point, and up the valley, vines are extensively cultivated, chiefly,
I believe, near the river banks, for we did not see very many
vineyards, though some of the houses were half covered with
the graceful trailer. About a month later when the fruit is ripe,
you may buy a whole killer full, that is, a basket like a gigantic
strawberry pollle, two feet high, for sixpence. This, you must
allow, was an additional reason to regret being com lulled to turn
away from this laughing valley. We were also struck by the
quantity of mistletoe growing on the wild apricot tiees. Just
the common English plant reverenced by our ancestors.
As to animal life, our attention was, as 1 have told yon, not
distracted by its abundance. One bear and a few pheasants and
})artridges of divers sorts were all that rewarded the gentlemen
lor many and toilsome e.xpeditions. And for my own pait I saw-
only two silvery hill-foxes, and a number of black ants fully
three-quarters of an inch long.
Amongst the domestic animals, however, you may here see
the yak, which is a mo.st precious addition to the herds of the
hill people. 'I'liere was much joking going on, about an Eng-
lishman who had recently stalked and shot one of these tame
cows to his own immense satisfaction, which, however, w-as sorely
damped on finding himself compelled to pay heavy damages for
his sport.
This little Ox of Thibet is a very precious possession in such
a country as this. He is short and thickset, like our Highland
cattle, and covered all over from his nostril to his tail with long
shaggy hair, perhaps I should rather call it wool, which all but
touches the ground, and which when cleaned is soft and silky,
and spins remarkably well. The hair becomes thicker and
longer, and the creature larger, that is, as tall as fourteen hands,
on the high table-lands of Thibet. Its natural home being in a
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216 FROM THE HEBRIDES
climate so severe, and where jiasture is so scanty, it seems to be
altogether indifferent to both, and is therefore an invaluable
beast of burden ; as it will carry the heaviest loads across the
most inaccessible passes, quite regardless of paths, content to pick
up the scantiest and foulest fare.
Nevertheless, the little yak cows yield an abundant supply of
the very richest milk, thick and creamy, and producing just
twice as much butter as the common cow of our dairies, also
excellent cheese. The butter is rather hard, but if the milk of
the yak is mixed with that of the common cow in equal parts
the result is highly satisfactory. Various experiments of this
sort have been tried at the dairy farms in the Vosges, where the
little yak has been successfully acclimatized. In India it does
not seem to thrive at a low'er level than 9,000 feet. Here, as in
the plain.s, the cowhenls declare that the cows will not yield
their milk unless the calf lie present. So that if the calf lie dead,
they either give the mother its little foot to lick, or else have its
akin stufled with straw; in short, it is precisely the "Tulchan”
in which our Scotch daiiynnaids used to place such imjilicit faith.
The yak is of divers colours, but generally black and white ; the
length of its wool incre.ases so much on tlie higher levels as
sometimes to trail on the ground.
As a beast of burden it is slow, but wonderfully sure of foot,
picking its way in perfect safety over the veiy' roughest ground.
iSometimes when a dilliculty arises about getting coolies, a tra-
veller is supplied with (piite a little herd of these, which carry
his tents, his goods, and even himself if he so wills it. Tlie
only objection to riding one of a herd is that his social instincts
draw him .so close to his fellows that he may bring you into
undesirable proximity to tent-poles and cooking-pots. The
shaggy little creature has the broad hump j>eculiar to Indian
cattle, and which doubtless, like that of the camel, is nature’s
provision for times of .scarcity, affording a storehouse of fat on
which to draw, when other food fails. Instead of lowing like
other cattle, its conversational powers are limited to an almost
inaudible grunt, which to a creature so gregarious must really be
very trying. Perhaps this accounts for hi.s anxiety to walk close
to his companions. Hence his scientific name, Bos grunniens.
It is somewhat remarkable that both the appearance and the
name of this shaggy Bu11-hor.<e .should bear so strong a resem-
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 217
blance to the common description of the mysterious Water-bulls
and Water-horses of the Celts, the dread Yak-Urisk. It is the
tail of this creature which is so common on the plains of India,
as the chmvrie, wherewith to drive away flies, and ornament
horees and elephants. Its horns are short and massive, beauti-
fully curved and pointing forward.
So this curious little cow with a horse’s tail, and sheep’s wool,
combines the yjrofMnties of all three animals. It finds its own
scanty food, yet yields the richest milk. lilore surefooted than
the surest pony, it carries its load or its rider along pathle.ss
mountaias, and is most at home on the highest passes. To the
plough it brings the strength of an o.x. It clothes its master in
silky' and abundant wool, while to a Ijeef-eating people it would
also supply meat and leather. So it may well be prized by these
poor highlanders.
At I’angi we lingered for a happy fortnight. Arriving as
total strangers, we received a cordial welcome from the " lloiul
Sahib,” Mr. Leupolt, whose wife and child had made their sum-
mer home in this I’aradise. Instead of pitching our tents, there-
fore, they' made us share their house. Other little white tents,
however, soon ajipeared on the nioi-sel of artiCcially levelled
ground close by, occasionally without even going through the
courteous form of asking leave, or making the .smallest acknow-
ledgment to the inhabitants of the bungalow, who, however,
were inv'ariably ready to show their hospitality to all comers.
Several j)arties of gentlemen arrived on their way to or from
various mountain passes, such as the liupin Pass, the Puspa and
Sangla Valleys, 'Thibet, and other places. So we got tidings
from the wilds : and tidings too from the civilized world, for
even here the daily' post came in with as much regularity as
in Simla itself.
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CHAPTER YIII.
A PEEP INTO CHINESE TAKTAKV.
One miircli more brought us to our furthest point, at Rurung.
I5eyoiul this there was no road, and though I Iwlieve a
(landie can In? earned wlierever a man can walk, tliere was no
l«irticular object in pressing on farther; at leiist so we were
told, and so, ut the moment, being entranced with the loveliness
of the 8{X)t where our tents wt;re pitched, we were content to
believe. Of course, as soon as you get home again you begin
crying over your “ spilt milk,” and feel convinced that if only
your last grain of energj’ hail not failed you, you might have seen
something more lieautiful than all else. It is vain to say that
“ what the eye sees not the heart rues not.” In your secret heart
you lielieve that tluit gorge in the far-away forest, that crj-stal
stream which you might .so easily have traced to its parent
glacier, mined city, which at the moment you a.ssumed must
be just like all the others, and .so passed by, would in truth have
eclipsed all that you did see and have become to you a joy for
ever. So the wanderer is never satisfied. At all events, we had
the childish joy of having got “ the best for the last,” for indeed
the loveliness of this place exceeded even that of Pangi. Which-
ever way we looked the beauty w;is the same. In every direction
snows, huge hills, mixed foliage, and rushing water. Close
behind us a grand expanse of cedar forest, and far up the valley
a shapely grouj) of snow-peaks, which we were told were to be
our only glimpse of Chinese Tartary.
A very few miles more would have taken us right into that land
of Hue and Gabet, but we should no longer have been travelling
under British protection, and might have met with divers difti-
culties. So although we were now fairly in the country of the
Limas, that is to say, the Buddhist.s, we never even saw one
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220 FROM THE HEBRIDES
to meet some respectable-looking workmen, twirling little brass
cylinders, only about six inches long, which were incessantly
spinning round and round ns they walked along the roa<l.
AVhat these toys were we could not at first make out, till it was
explained to us that they were jirayer-wheels, and that turning
them was just alwut equivalent to the telling of beads, which
in Christian lands we had so often seen workmen counting as
they plodded along the road.
But if we think the telling of beads a somewhat mechanical
piece of formalism, just imagine finding all the adoration of a
whole village being giwind by machinery like so much com.
The invocations to Buddha (they are not supposed to be prayers,
those being unneces.sary) are all closely written on strips of cloth
or paper, the same sentence repeated many thousands of times.
These are placed inside a cylinder, revolving on a long spindle,
the end of which is the handle. From the middle of the cylinder
hangs a small lump of metal, which whirls round, and gives the
necessary impetus to the little machine, so that it twirls with the
slightest exertion, and goes on grinding any given numl>er of
meritorious acts of worship, while the owner, carrying this pretty
little plaything in his hand, goes about his daily work. Of
course his mind ought to be absorlied all the time in quiet medi-
tation on the perfections of Buddha, but that would l>e too much
to expect from a busy, working man, so he says the sentences
aloud at the beginning and entl of his devotions, and in the
meantime twirls slowly, while a tiny bell marks each re\'olution
and reminds him if he is unconsciou.sly going too fast.
There is one who speaks of prayer as that whereby
** Tlift wljole round world is cvvry way
liouitd by gold chaiua around tlio feet of Cod/’
But such material metallic links as these gold, bra.ss, or copper
cylinders are indeed strange ties to bind earth to heaven !
Close below the little green spot where we had i>itched our tents
stood a Lima temple, and beyond that, on a crag overhanging the
river, was perched the village, in the middle of which stood the
Hindu temple. So even this little spot in the depths of the.se
glorious hills had its little religious dis,scnsions, and its divers
paths in search of the unknown. So the earliest stillness of
dawn, and the hush of evening were alike disturbed by 1k?11s,
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221
horns, and trumpets calling the people to worship in one temple
or the other, or else to do homage to the Khuda, that is, the
tal)crnacle in which the veiled image of Durga is daily carried
out for an airing in her curious, closely-curtained ark, similar to
those of which I have already told you. An ark set on long
poles or staves, aud carried by two priests, one of whom always
walks backwards, and into which no one save the priest is
allowed to look. Whenever the Khuda was carried past it was
always surrounded by a large number of the villagers, playing on
divers instruments, and leaping and dancing. I suppose this
temi)le is wealthy, for the metal faces which are always set round
the box seemed to me to be of silver, instead of the usual brass,
a.s was also the large head surmounted with a tuft of yak’ii
KIlVDA or A KHtR VIULAOK.
tails on the top, while lower down hung the usual fringe of
long silky yak's tails, almost sweeping the ground as the ark was
carried along.
Hut to us the Lama temple was the height of attraction as
Iteing the greatest novelty, aud the old Bonze (priest) always
gave us a cordial welcome, and doubtless looked at us with
equal curiosity, we being the first British women who had found
our way so far by this route, .ikll these curious creatures testify
their surprise or admiration of any object whatsoever by con-
stantly imtting out their tongues, the frequent appearance of
which was at first startling to the uninitiated, and of course
struck us as barely civil, which, however, was by no means the
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22-J FROM THE HEBRIDES
case. The same curious custom is expressive of most joyous
greeting when two friends meet.
These Buddliist priests are dressed in scarlet, with a scarlet cap
like a low mitre. Occasionally you see one going along the road
twirling his prayer-mill, and some devout traveller meeting
him will fall on his knees and crave a blessing, which he
gives, la}dng both hands on the head of the suppliant. The
general arrangement of the temple is curiously like that of
an ordinary Roman Catholic Church ; there are divers small
altars, with images of saints and vases of flowers, and incense
burning l)efore each image. All round the walls are admirably
drawn mythological pictures, especially one fair saint riding a
tiger, which recurs frequently. On one side of the temple
sits a grand gilt image of Buddha, calm and contemplative, his
throne as usual edged with lotus leaves. Before him is set a
low table, whereon are placed many small cups of water, tea,
flour, milk, and butter. Tliese are offerings brought by the
worshippers to whom animal sacrifices are forbidden. Those are
reseia’ed for the neighlwuring Hindu temple.
Beside Buddha stands a second image almost as tall (eight or
ten feet), representing an exceedingly hideous being, quite un-
like any Hindu image. A creature witheuonnous eyes painted
on its stomach, and wings of the orthodox demon type. Who
was thus represented we could not make out for certain, but we
were afterwards told it was a thunder-devil, a jiersonage wholly
unknown to Buddha. At his feet lay the Thilx^tan holy books,
written on strips of parchment about eighteen inches long by
four broad, bound witli womlen boards and wrapped up in
curiously embroideretl silk ; a large Suukh shell on which was
carvetl the sacred lotus ; a very precious trumpet, made of the
thigh-bone of some deceased Lama, elalwrately carved ; a row of
little vases containing flowers and peacocks’ feathers; seven
brass cups filled with water ; cymbals, and an incense burner.
All manner of gaudy draperj' was hung on everj' side, bj' no
means clean. Indeed, I must confe.ss the whole place was very
dirty, and smelt so very filthy, that my companions beat a
precipitate retreat, and I could hardly even sit at the door long
enough to get a rough sketch.
It was curious to see what tra.sh .some of the oficrings were, but
the jwople art* very like children in some things, and like to hang
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up any queer thing they find. Mr. Simpson told me of one
temple in which a great treasure was found hanging up. This
was an English tailor’s book of patterns, with all the prices for
coats and trousers marked thereon ! He also mentioned the
delight with which they had received an old gin bottle, marked
with an old cat, symbolical of old tom. This and some empty
l.AK<;E PRAY».n-WII£EL IN THE iJkMA TEMPLE AT EARI'NO.
brandy bottles found honoured place on the altar as vases to hold
flowers and peacocks’ feathei-s, while some erv stal stoppers of old
decanters were held more precious than diamonds.
Hut the really striking feiiture of this temple is a colossal
pniyer-wheel, like a very large barrel-organ, turned by a great
iron crank, which acts as handle. It is a great cylinder, about
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
twelve feet liigh and six or eight in diameter. It is painted in
circular bands of gold and bright colour, and on every band is
inscribed the one, oft-recurring Iluddhist ascription, which usurjjs
the place of all prayer — the ascription of praise “To the jewel
on the Lotus.” Tlie cylinder is, I believe, full of similar sen-
tences, and as it .slowly revolves on its axis a most musical bell
marks each revolution, and the worshipper is accredited witli
having uttered that simple sentiment just so many times as it is
repeated within the cylinder. Is not tins a strange anomaly to
have emanated from a faith so subtle and metapliysical as
Buddhism ? a faith whose wise andstningely imaginative thought
gave birth in bygone ages to those wonderful and voluminous
books which are even now affording food for deep study to the
wise men of Europe.
Each would-be worsliipper, too poor to possess a little hand-mill
of his own, comes to the temple, kotows to the head Lama,
who, haying his hand on his head, blesses him ; then squatting in
front of the great wheel, he turns the crank for himself atid those
dear to him. If many worshippers arrive simultaneously the
priest works the crank, that all may share alike in this un-
speakable benefit. It seems really hard work, but when
first I went to the temple I found my poor coolie.8, already
well tired with carrying their human burden so far, grinding
away, as thougb in very truth their hearts’ desire depended
on their diligence. You see there was no prayer- wheel at
Fungi, where they lived, so they were making the most of their
opportunities.
The Buddhists trace back the use of these wheels for at lea-st
1,400 years, and lielieve them to have originated from the notion
that it is an act of merit, and an efficacious cure of sin to be for
ever reading or reciting portions of the sacred writings of Buddha.
But as many of the people could not read, it came to lie consi-
<lered sufficient to turn over the rolled manuscripts containing
the precious precepts. This convenient suKstitute was found to
save so much time and trouble, that the custom rapidly spread,
and the action was further simplified by the invention of wheels
known as Tchii-Chor — great egg-shaped barrels full of jmryers;
a coni being attacbed to the biise of the Iwirrel, which on being
pulled, sets the cylinder twirling like a child’s whirligig. These
are .set up in all public places in Thilnit, so that the |H>or, who
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do not possess little pocket Wheels of Devotion, may not lose
their chance of thus heaping up merit. In some of the monas-
teries there are many rows of small cylinders, so arranged that
the priest, or any passer by, can set them all twirling at once, by
just drawing bis hand along as he passes.
The cylinders vary in size, from the little hand-mills, the size
of a policeman’s rattle, to huge things eight or ten feet in
diameter, worked by a heavy iron crank, or sometimes by wind
W.kTt.R fRAVKil-WIIttL.
or water power. Tlie former are turned by wings, whereon are
inscribed prayere. The latter are placed over streams, so that
the running water sliall turn them, for the good of the village,
without any human agency whatever. A woo<len bar, passed
through the cylinder, is fastened to a horizontal wheel, having
the cogs turned diagonally to the water, just as in the curious
little commills still used in Scotland. One such group of little
mills we noticed, set in a clear stream half-way between llarung
VOL II. Q
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
ani PaLji. a ]<>v^lv. rajM river, rz' i--^ Le^il r; dc-^Ti tbe
innuntain sj]* to ;<.in the Srulej. never iLen lea^ri (4
I>niyer-mill?, »e a^nxe»J tLera to W Cv-m. as tLey
were. At ail events we jtjsse'i them witLont insj«ect;.-a. to our
subsequent inhnite r»ejiei. TLese wheels rc-:a:e with tie action of
the water, &ni s<) mm tlie cylin ier. which must invariaVIy sun<l
upright. Sjiaetiines seVenJ of tLe^ are loace*! asr«tst acn^
the stream, and the n;-lesi form of te!E] le is built over them.
Tliey are j-lace-l tl.uii the wheel must invanaMy tom
frjtn ii;;ln to left, foliowin:: the c»:<urse of tl»e s«n ; to invert
that e^airse would not only involve ill-luek. as we sh->nld say in
5yy>tL»nd of the same turn anti-sunwise, but would am* i;nt to
CKi.T PRAVCB • VLINDEE-
iKdiift a sin. Hence the exceeding unwillingne.ss of the people
we met U) let us touch their little wheels, knowing from sad ex-
|)criencc that the Knglish sahibs rather enjoy the fmi of turning
them the WTong way, and so undoing the efficacy of all their
morning’s work.
Some of the little pocket cylinders are very beautifully
wrought ; some are even inlaid with precious stones. I saw one
great lieauty wliich I coveted exceedingly. The owner would on
no account sell it. I returned to the temple next morning,
wi.shing at least to make a drawing of it, but I think he mis-
trusted me, for he and his plajlliing had l>oth vanished, and I had
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to be content with a much simpler one of bronze, inlaid with
copper. The people have the greatest reluctance to sell even the
ugliest old mills. They cling to them as lovingly as you might
do to your dear old Bible ; but, as I said before, not merely from
the charm of association, but from a dread lest a careless hand
should turn them against the sun, and so change their past acts
of merit into positive sin. So there was a great deal of talk,
and many irons in the fire, before I was allowed to purchase
two of these, at a price which would have supplied half the
village with new ones.
One of these was procured for me, and sent, together with a
copy of St. John’s gospel in Thibetan, by Mr. Pagell, the
Moravian Missionary at Boo, far in the interior; a wild desolate
station, where he and his wife have for many years devoted their
lives to the almost vain attempt to christianize their neighbours ;
their labours being attended with the usual discouragement, and
their earnest endeavours to teach others resulting in a very small
handful of converts. Neverthele.ss, they are content, for their
works’ sake, to remain in exile, very rarely seeing even one white,
face ; and that only when some stray sportsman wanders so far
into the wilds.
Mr. Pagell told me that the mill he had procured for me con-
tained a strip of paper, on which was written a short, but very
comprehensive prayer in Thiljetan ; a prayer for the six classes
of living creatures, namely, the souls in heaven, the evil spirits
in the air, men, animals, souls in purgatory, and souls in hell.
But as a general rule, all worship begins, continues, and ends,
with one unvarying sentence, Aian Mani Padmi Hooixg. These
words are raised in embo.sse<l letters outside the cylinder, and
are closely written, perhaps many thousand times, on strips of
paper inside. They are engraved all over sacred places — on
the face of the rocks — on the walls of the temple — in one great
monastery in Ladakh the wall is literally covered with these
words of sacred mystic import, ascribing perpetual adoration to
Buddha, as the jewel on the lotus, in reference to his lotus-throne ;
that is to say, the pattern symbolical of the lotus or water-lily
with which his throne is always adorned, and which is supposed
to convey the same idea as that of “ the Spirit of God brooding on
the face of the waters, in the beginning of time,” “The Lobd
sitteth upon the flood, vea the Loud sitteth King for ever.”
y 2
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
The literal meaning of the sentence is as follows: Aum. or Om
equivalent to the Hebrew Jah, the holiest and most glorious title
of the ^mighty ; Mani, the Jewel, one of Buddha’s titles ;
Padmi, the Lotus; Hoong, equivalent to Amen. This “six-
syllabled charm,” as they call it, is the sovereign balm for every
conceivable evil. Some Buddhist sects vary this magic sentence.
The Fo-ists in China pin their faith to the words Aum-mi-to-fuh,
which is also a title of Buddha, and which every devout Fo-ist
rHAYCK DKt'M
desires to repeat at least three hundred thou.sand times in the
course of his life. To this end many of their priests shut them-
selves up in the teinj)les for months together, with no other
occupation than that of repeating these words over and over
again, day and night. Sometimes ten or twelve devotees will
thus voluntarily imprison themselves, and continue all day
shouting the holy name in choru.s, while at night they take it
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by turns, and one party keeps up the weary, monotonous chauut
while the others sleep. Those who have undertaken this means
of heapiii" up merit must never leave their cell for any purpose
whatever till the appointed period is ended, hut sit immovably,
iiice-ssantly jabbering their idiotic song, with vacant faces. Nor
are the laity slow to practise this simple method of laying up
treasure for eternity. As they go about their daily business, the
same words are for ever on their lijis. The devout and the aged
carry strings of beads, whereon they instinctively count their
reiterations of the life-ensuring sj>ells, and while they speak to
you, or to one another, on all manner of secular subjects, between
each sentence comes a low murmur Then as
they pass away down the street, still you see their lips moving,
and you know that they are still whispering the unvaiying
ascription of praise to Buddha, Aum-ini-to-fuh ! Aum-mi-to-
fnh !
That first word Aum or Om, as we have already noticed,* is the
holy and mystical name of God amongst the ancient Celts. Here
in the east it is precious alike to all sects, for while the Buddh-
ists reiterate it as their one infallible charm, and sculpture it on
all holy place.s, the Brahmins esteem it so holy that they will
not utter it aloud ; while the Jains, laying the hand upon the
mouth, whisper it in deepest reverence.
Thus, finding the same sacred word in use at the opposite ends
of the world at once suggests a link which can-ies us far back,
from the utterly meaningless ceremonies of the poor Buddhist,
working his little charm, to some remote age when tlie.se dead
customs were all instinct with life, and were to the worshippers
merely symbols of some grand reality, well known to them all.
That reality was once probably emboilied in the worship of the
revolving sun ; accepted by so many nations either as Goo. or a.s
the representation of the Almighty Creator.
Hence the intensely strong feeling in favour of always follow-
ing the coui'se of the sun ; — that term Deisul of which we
noticed so many traces still lingering in our own Highlands,*
and which here, in India, crops up at every turn. As we there
noticed the old custom of walking sunwise round people, cattle,
houses, or chapels, so here we find the people making Dfisul
' See rhapter ir. Vol. I. • .Soc i-hapter v. Vol I.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
processions round their temples, leading their flocks sunwise
round their villages, dancing sunwise round their idols, and
turning the mani (prayer-mill) in the same course. Further up
the country they build great terraces, on which the holy words
are engraven again and again in huge letters. These always
have a path on either sitle, so that all travellers may go on the
left as tliey ascend the valley, on the right as they descend ;
always keeping their right hand next the terrace.
This at once points to some connection of idea between tins
“ Divine Wheel," or, as it is al.so translated, this “ Precious wheel
of Religiotj,” and the wheel which we have already spoken of as
the sacred symbol in ancient India, as in many other lands, of
the sun’s revolution. Mr. Simpson, who by his admirable
Indian sketches has brought to England such vivid glimpses
both of the plains and of the mountains, has traced a most in-
teresting connection between these revolving cylinders, sacred to
Buddha, as the Chakravarta Rajah, or King of the Wheel, and
the rolling wheels which occur in .so many diveiae faiths, as
representing the chariot of the sun, or the revolutions of all
heavenly bodies. He quotes an instance of a sculpture at least
1,800 years old, on the Bilsah Tope, where Buddha is represented
simply by a wheel, overshadowed by the mystic chatlah, or
golden umbrella, which is a common emblem of his power. His
worshippers are represented ns making their ofl’erings to the
King of the Wheel. This sacred Wheel of the Law, or Wheel
of Faith, is found again and again among the Jain and Buddhist
sculjdures in the Caves of Ellom and Ajunta, in most cases pro-
jecting in front of Buddha’s Lotus throne. In one instance an
a.stronomical table is carved alx)ve the wheel. In another it is
supported on either side by a stag, supposed to represent the
flectriess wherewith the sun runs his daily circuit, “going forth
from the uttermost part of the heaven, and running about unto
the end of it again.”
Mr. Simpson goes on to trace the symbolical use of the
“ Living wlieels, instinct with .s]>irit,’’ of which Homer sang ;
wheels “ which rolled from place to place, around the blest
alxidcs, self-moved;’’ — a de.scription strangely akin to that mys-
terious vision of Ezekiel,' when the living wheels that were full
of eyes, appeared beside the Cherubim, guanling the holy fire,
' Ezekk'l X. ; xi. 23.
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 231
ami moving whithemoever they went, because tlie spirit of the
living creature was in them. It was a strange combination of
wheels, that appeared to be but one, " as if a wlieel had been in
tlie midst of a wheel,” so that they were addressed as being one,
and a voice crietl unto them, O Wheel ! " Then did the Cherubim
lift up their wings and the wheels lajside them, and the glory of
the (»OD of Israel was over them above." Again, in the vision
of the bust awful judgment,* it is said that the throne of the
Ancient of Days “was like the fiery fiame, and His wheels as
burning fire.”
The Wheels of Ezekiel are called in the margin Gilgal, rolling ,
the sjime name given to that place where, on the banks of the
Jonlan, the children of Israel set up twelve stones, as a memorial,
becau.se Goi> had there rolled away from them the reproach of
Egypt. We have already traced the curious connection of
wheel-w'orahip and wheeling dances sunwise," in many lands
where similar great circles of stone were set up, by nations who
reverenced the glorious onler of the host of heaven ; sun, moon,
and sUirs, n)lling on their courses.
Very soon, as we have seen, a revolving wheel of light came
to be reverenced as the symbol of the Sun-God, and was turned
as an act of worahip in the temples of the Greeks, who derived
the custom from the still more ancient Egj'])*'>ai>s. The Scan-
dinavians represent their g«)d of time, “ the Sealer,” as holding
a wheel in one hand, and flowers in the other. And the image
of the Saxon Sun-god has al.so a wheel of fire. Tlie same idea
is .said to attach to the wheels of the Car of Jaganmith, and
similar idol cars, common throughout India, which once a year
are drawn forth, and perfonn a solemn circuit, supposed to be
symlxilical of the course of the sun.*
' Daniel vii. 9. ’ Chapter v. Vol. I.
’ That this really waa the original meaning attached to this ceremony is plainly
proved hy the season at which the great ear festival occurs, namely. Midsummer,
the very worst period which could jKissibly be imagined for a pilgrimage, and one
which even Hindu obstinacy would snrely alter were it not acting in obedience
to the sun’s lixed laws. It is the season when its most burning rays alteniato
with such Uooda of rain a.s make the land wholly unfit for prolonged travel, and
yet these devoted worahi|ii>ers start year after year on the jouniey that must
occupy many weeks, and on which at least ten thousand of their number, and
sometimes a very much laiger pro|)ortion, jierish miserably from e.xhaustion and
ex|K>surc to the inclement weather. Tlas, remember, is in a land where every
variation of weather can be foretold with the utmost certainty, and consc<iucutly
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232 FROM THE HEBRIDES
You must bear iu mind that Jagannath is only another name
for Yishnu, the All-Preserver, who, in another incarnation, is
worshipped tis Krishna, tlie Sun-god. The temples of Vishnu
are almost invariably marked by a mystic wheel, generally
crowning the spire, just ms the temjdes of Siva are marked by
the trident. It is supposed that the Vishnuites adopted the
wheel and other symlx>ls and customs, such ms the estaldish-
inent of great monmsteries, from their Buddhist predecessors,
or j)OSsibly from those Greek colonists who .settled in divers
parts of India in the reign of Antiochus, and who had learnt in
their own temples to turn the Wheel of the Sun. The Buddhists
not only turned the Wheel of the I.aw, but also when holding
this great annual festival in honour of the Sacred Truth, dragged
it forth in sun-wise circuit on a huge, wheeled car ; a festival
frojn which that of Jagannath was undoubtedly copied ; but
which the Buddhists in their turn had prcdwibly adopted from
the sun and nature worship of the aboriginal inhabitants.
When, therefore, it came to be accounted an act of merit
merely to turn over the pag&s whereon holy words were inscriljed,
the adaptation of the already sacred wheel to this purpose
might verj' naturally present itself, and the necessity of invari-
ably turning it sun-wise would follow as a matter of course.
What the creed of the old Buddhists really was will doubtless
Ite iK'tter known ere long, as it is only of late years that
leanied scholars have attempted a critical study of their sacred
lKH)ks. Books, which like the Vedas of the Brahmins were
preserved in Sanskrit, and had become wholly unintelligible to
the people themselves.
nothing hnt a .stoajfast (letcrminntion to do honour to Midsummtr could account
for the selection of such a season.
We all know the pictures of those thiw huge towers, the principal of which is
forty-five feet Iiigh and thirty-five feet square, and rolls on si.\teen great wheels,
each measuring tWrteen feet in diameter, which form the cars whereon "The
Isird of the World ’’ and his fellow idols sit enthroned, as they arc dragged over
the Ixxlies of prostrate worshippers, a form of self-immolation which by the way
is now proved to be of the very rarest occurrciiec. But though his vast temple
at Orissa is that U'st known to us from its superior sanctity, there is scarcely a
village in Bengal without its car of Jagannath. Pr. Puff saya that in Calcutta
and its neighbourhood there are scores of them, varying in sire from a few feet up
to thirty or forty feet in height, and on the day of the great car festival — that is
to say, at Midsummer — all these are brought forth, in the most remote districts
and cities and villages, that the myriads who cannot have the privilege of a pil-
grimage to Cuttack may neverthelcsa behold the same mystic circuit performed.
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Max Muller, iii his fascinating bundle of “ Chips,” tells how in
1824 ^Ir, Hoilgson first discovered the original documents of
the Buddhist canon in the mona.steries of Nepaul. Within ten
years similar discoveries were made in Tliibet, in Mongolia, and
in Ceylon; the latter being in Bali, the sacred Cingalese tongue.
Tliey were of such vast dimensions that they are described as
“ a colossal code,” a very “jungle of religious literature and so
they may well be called, inasmuch ns the Thibetan canon con-
sists of two collections, together compri.sing 383 volumes folio !
A complete edition was purchased by a tribe for 1,200 silver
roubles, while seven tliousand oxen were paid for one collection
of 108 volumes. These prices seem to rival those which four
hundred years ago were paid by a certain Countess of Anjou,
who gave two hundred sheep, many bushels "of wheat and rye,
and some skins of martens, in exchange for a single volume of
homilies; while another book-lover paid for two small volumes
of Cicero such a sum as enabled the seller to rebuild his house,
which had been destroyed by fire.
It would be well for those who seek to be learned in the
wisdom of Buddlia, if “ two small volumes ” were all they had
to struggle through ! As a sample of the bulky labours of these
patient translators, one collection is mentioned as having been
recently brought from Ceylon, written partly in Cingalese,
partly in Burmese characters, covering 14,000 palm leaves !
To M. Buruouf, in Paris, is a.scribed the merit of first recog-
nizing that the documents sent from Nepaul must be the
original text of an ancient Indian creed. Being already an
accomplished Sanskrit scholar, he determined to master Thibetan,
Pali, Cingalese, and Burmese, to enable him to compare the
various editions in those tongues ; death, however, too soon
checked his progress, making it a matter of more keen regret,
that the two first collections made by Mr. Hodgsem should have
been allowed to lie dormant for thirteen years, in the hands of
English Societies, before a third collection was sent to Paris,
where it attracted Burnouf’s notice.
Speaking of the life of Buddha himself, he sums it up ns the
most pure and touching that could well be conceived; spotless
and heroic; a very model of all the virtues he preached; self-
abnegation, charity, gentlene.ss, and self-sacrificing humility.
And what he practised himself he required of others; and
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
Striving to teach men to be a law unto themselves, he at once
swept away the old Hrahminical tyranny of faith, with its
code of ceremonial laws as minute and as oppressive as the
strictest Levitical observances.
Against all manner of penances and sacrifices for sin he
declared war, demanding only public confession, and the for-
saking of sin. This was as incumbent on the laity as on the
monks. The latter were commanded to confe.ss their misdeetls
aloud, before the a-ssetubled congregation, twice every month.
At the same time they were carefully to conceal any such good
actions as might win the pniise of men.
This assembly of the faithful was not for any purpose of
worship, inasmuch as whatever Ijefals the earth or its inhabi-
tants is simply the working out of certain fi.xed laws, not the
'Will of a Superior Being. The peoi)le were merely to as.semble
to hear the Buddliist Scriptures read by one of their so-called
priests.
Immediately after the death of Buddha, however, the people
began to offer flowers and ascriptions of praise to his statues
— a service which wa.s intended to be strictly commemorative,
though doubtless the natural, irrcpre.ssible human instinct of
prayer quickly e.valted Buddha, at least in the minds of the
ignorant, to the rank of that God whom he failed to recognize.
He certainly is supiM)sed to have been an atheist, and his
followers are generally said to l»e nations of atheists, to whom
the e.\istence of any God is so utterly unknown that some of
the Buddhist nations, such as the Chine.se, Thilx'tans, and
^longols, actually have no word in their language to express
the idea of a Supreme Being. Buddha, however, declares that
"The uncharitable do not go to the world of the gods,” which
does not sound as if he wholly ignored .some overruling power.
His regulations for holiness of life are most rigid. The aim
of every man lieing to deaden his own .spirit to all things of
earth, he must .strive to conquer every human passion, and to
exercise the highe.st l)cnevolence to everj’ living creature,
alwas’S provided that in so doing he does not exjKise him.self to
the danger of awaking any feeling that might disturb his own
perfect apathy. Besides the strictest enactions against mimler,
ilrunkennes.s, impurity of thought, word, or deed, theft, and
lying, the Buddhist law takes cognisiuice of the veriest shades
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
2 - 3.5
of vice; anger, pride, hypocrisy, greediness, gossiping, cruelty
to animals, &c. Amongst the many virtues enjoined are tlie
duty of reverence to parents ; of forgiving insults ; of over-
coming evil with good ; of peace-making, liumility, patience,
g(xxlwill towards all men, and a constant desire to do them
service.
In short the moral law of Buddha requires a standard of life
nearly as high and pure as that of Christ Himself. A constant
straining after perfection is equally incumbent on Buddhist and
Christian, hut the practical difference lies at the root of the
whole mutter. The latter knows that the Master wliom he
serves is also the loving friend, ever ready to help him in every
moment of perple.xity, whereas the Buddhist owns no guide, no
counsellor, no strong companion to be ever near him and make
right possible, no ever-ready sympathy in the hour of distress
and pain. Alone he must walk through life from the cradle to
the grave, alone pass through death’s dark portal to the dim
world which lies beyond, where none wait to give him loving
welcome. High as is the standard of morality demanded from
every follower of Buddha, that of the religious, or monks, is
more rigid still. They may have but one meal a day ; a dress
of rags sewn together by themselves ; a vow of celibacy, a vow
of poverty. During part of the year they must live in the
open air, spreading their carpet under the shadow of a tree, and
there sitting immovably in contemplation, or metlitating on
their own sin-s, not allowing them.selves to lie down ev'en
during sleep. Thus a habit of morbid introspection is care-
fully fostered, a frame of mind that makes life »id and weary
indeed.
And the reason for this " agonizing to enter into the strait
gate ” is not the hope of attaining to life, but to that blissful
state of extinction which is the only emancipation from a state
of eternal transmigration. For acconling to Buddha the con-
clusion of the whole matter Wiis simply that there is nothing
but sorrow in life ; a sorrow produceil by our affections,
which must be crushed in onler to destroy the root of
sorrow.
Tliercfoie the aim of mankind must be to conquer all the.se
foolish natural affection.s, and Icail a life so superior to all
temptation that they may lie fitted for Xirvana, whatever that
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238 FROM THE HEBRIDES
may Ik?. It i.s generally said to mean annihilation, at least
that is the natural inference from such teaching ns that “ If
existence is misery, non-existence must be felicity” — and such
felicity is the highest rewanl promi.sed. True wisdom consists
in peifeiving the nothingness of all things, and in a desire to
enter the Nirvana, which if it does not involve total extinction,
at least seems to lie a state of perfect apathy, “ where there are
neither ideas nor the idea of the absence of ideas.”
And to attain to this dim region of eternal silence, the Buddhist
mu.st live a life of the utmost holiness, such as might well
shame the Christian who prafesses by jiatient continuance in
well-doing to Ik? seeking for immortality.*
On the other hand, Buddha speaks of inflection as the path
to life which does not convey the iiiea of annihilation. His
summing up of futurity is that “ some men are born again on
eirth, evil-doers go to hell; the righteous to heaven; while
those who are free from all worldly desires enter Nirvana, the
highest happiness.” Certainly the homage imid to his statues
does not convey the idea of merely memorializing an annihilated
lieing.
To us. then, the Buddhist’s dream of [lerfection seems only
a calm, dreamle.ss state of jiassive inaction. Yet who can say
that the Ninana for which they crave is only a delusion ?
Are they not indeed striving — agonuing — to enter into rest ?
From out the shades of thick darkness that enfold them, they
are reaching out seeking hands ; feeling through their dim light
for something that they know not — striving to find out the
invisible. And meanwhile they are {muring on their “ brother
whom they hare seen ” such oil of love as seems to fullil the
new commandment, in a way little dreamt of by many who
believe them.selves to be in truth the sole children of the King-
dom. It may Ik; that the Nirxana which they long for is in
truth the promised rest of God, that remaineth for His {)eople
who do His Will.
Nevertheless a faith so vague and S{ieculative could not long
satisfy tlie multitude, and a more definite creed was gradually
invented. The priests who originally were only renders of the
law, devised sundry rites which should justify a priestly office.
Hence those ceremonies which so amazed the first liomnn
’ ItoTiifliiK ii. 7.
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Catholic missionaries who penetrated into China and Tliibet,
de.siring to preach Cliristianity to the benighted heathen, and
found them in possession of a ritual strangely resembling their
own, with chaunted litanies, use of incense, a form of baptism,
of laying on of hands, proce.ssions carrying banners, use of
holy water, confession, adoration of relics, canonization and
adoration of saints, ringing of a small bell during service,
priestly robes and shaven crowns, monastic celibacy, ascetic
separation from the world, orders of monks and nuns, hermits
working out lifelong j>enances in lonely cells, ritualistic altors
with images, generally of some female saint, crowned witli a
halo of glory, the choir sbinding on the right hand and on the
left, matins and vespers duly sung, and, strangest of all, the
use of rosaries, long strings of black beads, which were told
while muttering.
The Christian missionaries, who seem never to have realized
how much they had insensibly borrowed from heathendom,
were vastly astonished at finding their precious rosaries in the
hands of the.se benighted people. Still more were they startled
at finding sUitues of innumerable Buddiiist saints crowned
with the orthodox nimbus, or glory, and sometimes even wearing
a mitre. They found a people who, instead of burning small
candles in honour of the Virgin, burnt /oss-sticks to the
saints. Moreover they found that the distinguishing mark of
Buddha’s sovereignty was the use in all his temples and pro-
ce.ssions of just such a great scarlet umbrella as that which
overshadows the Holy Father at Rome, and also his cardinals ;
and which moreover is Ixjrne in solemn state by the priests of
the Abyssinian Church. For that matter this mysterious
symbol of power has ever been so monopolized by native
princes that in bygone years no one was suffered to use an
umbrella or parasol in their presence. AVe hear even of English
ladies being formerly obliged to cover their heads with a shawl,
because they dared not open a sun-shade in presence of the
King of Delhi!
But more wonderful than all, the missionaries found convents
and nunneries, where for many centuries successive generations
had sought a refuge from the sinfulness of matter in a total
abnegation of self, together with such retirement as might help
them to a life of celestial meditation — a life alternating between
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
emlless religious contemplation ami most formal worship) — the
interminable reiteration of prayers in a dead language, and
counted on rosaries. These monks were divided into divers
orders, all subject to a holy father, distinguished by a species of
mitre, and clad cardinal-wise in scarlet or orange-coloured
robes. To him the brethren looked up as to their lord spiritual,
and knelt meekly at his feet that he might lay his right hand
on their heads and bless each in the name of Heaven.
They found, too, tliat the.se Buddhist monks retained one
object of earthly ambition, namely, the possibility of atUiiningto
sucli sanctity by self-inflicted tortures that they might after death
l>e enrolled in tlie calendar of the saints ; for canonization was
open to all, of however low degree, as regarded earthly position ;
and, once canonized, each fragment t)f their poor, once despised
laxlies, would attain to inestimable value. The pa.ssion for relic-
worship hafl reached a height which amazed even men trained
from their infancy to reverence the relics of Christendom.
Besides the venerated relics of Buddha himself, whose a.shes,
gathered from his funeral pyre, were forthwith distributed over
eight countries, so many saints were thus treasured that tradi-
tion declares the Emperor Asoka alone to have built eighty-
four thomsand relic shrines ! This was 250 B.C. The pa.ssion
for these precious fragments nowise diminishe<l in later years,
but extended in divers directions, and seems firat to have
crept into the Christian Church after the time of Constantine,
A.i). 812. Thus the Western Church received unconscious in-
fluence from Eastern customs.
But the missionaries do not seem to have realized this at
all. They did not know how very early in the day the tenets
of Buddha had reached Alexandria, nor what influence they are
said to have had on the teaching of some of the Alexandrian
fathers. Certain it is that Egypt was the birthplace of the
monastic system in the Christian Church, and that the fanatical
austerities of St. Simon Stylites and other zealots savoured more
of the teaching of Buddha than of Christ.
The only other sects in the ancient world which are known
to have practised the monastic life were the Essenes in Judea,
a sect which only sprang up in the time of the Maccabees,
and seems to have died out, or at least to have dwindled into
insignificance, soon after the destruction of Jerusalem, and the
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23 !)
TlitTai>eut£e in Ej^ypt, who are 8uppo.sed by some to liave been
corrupt Jews, by others a Ixidy of lieathen philosophers, and
who devoted their lives to the most rigid asceticism that the
flesh was capable of enduring. It is of coiu-se possible that
the example of these men may have led to the adoption of the
same practices in the C'liristian CImrch, but it seems more
probable that the influence of Buddliism, which at that time
- — about A.D. 300 — was triumphant in Hindustan, and numbered
its monks by tens of thousands, liad extended to Egypt, where
its customs were incoq)orated with the newly-adopted Christian
faitli, without over-nice distinction of origin.
It was not the Buddhist ritual alone tliat so amazed the first
Christian missionaries. They also found among the Buddhist
legends .strange parallels to the Hebrew Scriptures.
They heard how in building the great temple at Anarajapoora
in Ceylon it had been commanded, as in building the Temple
of Solomon, that every stone should be duly chiselled and
polished in its own quarry, that no sound of hammer or axe
or any tool of iron might disturb the solemn silence. Then
they were told how a Cingalese king, bringing back captives
from India, smote the waters of the sea till they parted, so that
he and his army might march through without wetting the
soles of their feet ; and the miracles of Elijah and Elisha ; the
chariot of fire and the judgment of Solomon were all related to
them as well-known traditions of their own kings and prophets.
Thus the story of the widow of Zarephath and her barrel of
meal that wasted not through all the months of famine, is told
in Ceylon of a poor man called Saka, at whose house a Buddhist
priest arrived during a grievous famine. Saka had but one
meal of rice left for himself and his children ; nevertheless he
did not hesitate to share it with the holy man, whereupon the
handful of rice became ine.xhaustible, and aftorded food enough
and to spare both for his own family and all his neighbours
until the land once more yielded her increase.
The advanced school of Buddha was not content with merely
dogmatizing on rites and ceremonies which have reference only
to present actions.
The programme of Futurity was also made more definite and
more elalxirate. Buddha had retained a full belief in transmigra-
tion, but his followers went far beyond even the Brahmins in
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
inventive genius. They were content with a prospect of thrice
.seven liells for the utterly reprobate, but the Buildhists are much
more liberal. They teach that those who have l>ecn too wicked
to be transferred to the body of a woman or any other inferior
animal will hnd the exact place they have earned in one of the
one hundred and thirty-six hells which are constructed on a
graduated scale of misery ; whereas the unco ffudc are at once
transferred to one of the many heavens, not, however, to abide
in either state tliroughout eternity ; for in courae of ages this
tenn, whether punishment or reward, must end, and a new state
of terrestrial life must reconunence.
Thus the soul may by degreas attain to such perfection that it
may either, say the Brahmins, be reaksorbed into the pure essence
of Brahma, or, say the Buddhi.sts, attain to the blessed state of
Xirvana. Both agree that transmigration is the punishment of sin,
and only by a total expiation thereof can the soul cease to be re-
born. In either case the process is gradual, going on through an
infinite succession of time, inasmuch as the soul must pass through
all the lower stages and thus gradually expiate its sins liefore it
can reach the more exalted state and attain its final re.sting-
place.
What each new phase of life will be is determined by the
state in which a man last died. For the most part, these .seem
to be assigned rpiite at random, but in some cases there is
method. Thus the man who has stolen gems or precious sub-
stances is re-born in the caste of goldsmiths. If he h;».s stolen
grain, he becomes a rat ; if water, a diver ; if llesh, a vulture ;
while some forms of baser offence are punished by many migra-
tions through divers species of grass and creeping plants. For
a soul masculine to l)e re-born as a woman would be sore punish-
ment indeed !
In s])eaking of Buddlia, I have alluded only to that Gautama
who is the Ideal of IVrfection in this present era. He seems,
however, to be only one of a series of jterfect beings, who in
successive ages api>ejir on earth to teach men ways of wisdom.
Thus the Buddhists of Ceylon believe Gautama to have been the
twenty-fifth of those Buddhas whose lives of blameless purity
have by turns enlightened the world. As his tliird immediate
predecessor appeared on earth B.C. 3101, it follows that the dates
at which the earlier reformers came to preach repentance must
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 241
reduce tlic chronolo<ry ordinarily nssi^oieil to Adam to, compara-
tively, a very recent iwriod. The history of each is carefully
pre.served, his birthplace, his parenta"e, his doctrine, yet all are
so overlaid with obscure theories and commentaries that they
are described as being an interminable labyrinth of alwurdities,
and tlie whole matter has been summed up in these wools ; —
“The Buddhas are incomj)rehensihle, their doctrines are incom-
padiensihlc ; and the magnitude of the fruits of faith to tho.«e
who have faith in these incomprehensihles is also incomjrre-
hensihle.”
In short, the attempt to understand or explain anything con-
cerning this or any other system of OrienUd faith simply seems
to involve the student or exponent in such a maze of intricate
and abstruse idealism as reminds one of Voltaire’s pithy sum-
mary ; “ Quand celui qui ecoute u’entend rien, et celui qui parle
n’cntend pas plus,c’est la m^taphysique.” Xo words couhl iKJtter
describe the labyrinths alike of Buddhism and Bnihminism.
As to the Botatory Calabash, as Carlyle calls the Buddhist
Prayer-wheels, the earliest tmces of their existence are to Ik* found
on some semi-ohliterated Indo-Scythian coins of very remote
ages; amt as we before said, the Buddhists themselves tiace back
the use of pniyer-wheels for 1,400 years. They are now
found only in these wild Himalayan regions — in Mongolia,
ThilK4, Chinese Tartary, and other doTiiinions of the Grand
l.ama, the teacher of the way of life (lam lK*ing the Thil)Ctan
for jmth), who still turns the wheel of Buddha for the Ix'netit
of upwanls of four hundred million of the human nice in all
solemnity and earnestne.ss.
The flippancy and the enlightenment of this nineteenth cen-
tury, its progre.ss or its scofting, are to him alike matters of
supreme indifference. He knows that during his earthly life
none can gainsay him, for he is at once high pric.st and king ;
and he knows that after death his soul will Isj re-almrlred into
the Divine essence, so if there is anything more for him to
learn he will know it all then.
This Ireing tdso the hope of everv’good Buddhist, it is assume 1
by the Thilietans that their Ixslies after death are of no further
use, so when they have burnt their friends they take the a.shes
and a little earth, and mixing this dust with water from the
sacred Indus, they make clay, and thereof model small images of
VOL II. n
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242 FROM THE HEBRIDES
Biuldlm. One such image was shown to me hy a gentleman
who, having won the hearts of the priests hy large gifts of pre-
cious tobacco, was allowed to bring away all manner of curious
treasures from the far interior.
He, and others, told me of the great rock terraces all carved
with holy wonls, and that in some places they had seen a large
human image, made to spin on its own a.\is, standing by the road-
side, all covered with written prayers. Every passer hy had
only to give it a twirl, then while he toiled onwanl on his way
he knew that it would continue turning and turning all the time,
grinding devotional words on his behalf
Along the principal roads in Thil)ct long low walls are erected
at intervals, vaiying from two to eight miles apart. One of these,
near the town of Ix;h, is a mile long, and here the sentence is
carved many thousand times, others are half a mile long, about ten
feet high, and the Sfime width rectangularly, and built of stones
hewn at the outside edge, and without any mortirr. These mutth,
as they are called, are invariably overlaid with great slabs of slate
or beautifully engraven white marble, whereon are carved the same
mystic words. The road invariably pa.sses on each side of th&se
walls, so that going and returning they may always be kejit on
the right hand, and the sun-wise course be duly followed. This
has been noticed by travellers, who, without understanding the
meaning of these strange terraces, merely looked on them as
useful landmarks, in jdaces .so wild that hut for these the}' might
almost have doubted the existence of a human race. Nor are
these words .set only on the terraces. Near the town of Ladakh,
in every direction are heaps of stones, and great slates and slal®,
all bearing the same in.scription — in the villages, by the roadside,
everywhere, you find the same sentence, sometimes elaborately
can'ed, sometimes even coloured, sometimes roughly hewn. The
characters are of all sizes, varying from a couple of inches to
half a yard in height.
On some of the high mountain passes they had noticed cainis
where the j>eople fastened little flags of coarse cloth, on which
were written the usual prayers or a.scriptions. These passes,
being so much nearer heaven, are highly desirable positions, .so
it was no uncommon thing to see those who had especial boons
to crave write their petitions on a little slate and lay it on the
cairn.
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When we, found it was impossihle for us to penetrate into
Tliiliet our friends comforte<l us by verj' uninviting pictures of
tlie bleak plains that lay Ijeyond the Iwautiful [leaks that I>ounded
our horizon. They told us how after climbing on and on, from one
high pass to another, they liad at length reached a high cool table-
land. Tliere they saw no more picturesque beauty, no more
beautiful timber, in fact no timber at all, not even sticks for fire-
wood. But they found dirty tribes living in dirtier tents, leading
a wild piustoral life ; their flocks of goats, sheep, camels, and
oxen supplying tliein with all the necessaries of life — raiment and
tent-cjinvas, f(X)d and fuel. Add to these a l>owl of Tartar tea,
thickened with oatmeal, and an inch of melted butter floating
on its surface, and the happiness of these frugal folk is complete.
The fuel is called anjols] that of sheep and goats is said to burn
with a heat so inten.se as to bring a bar of iron to a white heat.
So you see Mother Xature has provided for the lack of firewood.
As to the suffocating smoke protluced by this noxious fuel as
well as by the clouds of tobacco, which blind unaccustomed eyes,
and blend with the fingrance of garlic and rancid oil, the people
seem rather to enjoy these things, and are moreover wholly in-
different to the swarms of vermin of every species which here
congregate.
All this sounded by no means inviting, so we were quite con-
tent to limit our circle of Thibetan acquaintance to such
wandering merchants as we met on the narrow high-roads, those
<[uaint dirty creatures, women whose frowzy hair had been guilt-
less of brushing since the day they were bom, though it was
plaited in such an incalculable number of small tail.s, and
ornamented with such large turquoises and lumps of amber.
And, you must know, we accounted ourselves highly honoured in
adding the,se ladies to our visiting list. Talk of old blue blood !
why, here are a race who pride themselves on their direct
lineal descent from the King of the Monkeys ! They tell how
he came to dwell in the mountains, and made his home in a cave,
then! striving to live a life of holy contemplation, undi.sturlH.*d
by the outer world. A beautiful demon, however, sought him
out, and prayed the monkey king to marry her. I'he apish St.
Anthony resisted her blandishments for awhile, but finally
yielded. So the beautiful demon liecame the mother of childnui
mort! cunning and imitative than any mere human beings, though
1 ! 2
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244 FROM THE HEBRIDES
they were content to wear the human form, and the descendants
of tliese ape-demons peopled Tliibct, and their posterity hold
their memory in loving reverence !
Nor were these the only people of whom we heard strange
stories, as we gathered round the bright cedar-wood fire
beneath the clear starry heaven. We tried to e.Nercise strong
faitli, while recalling Hue’s curious accounts of Tartar funerals,
telling how, when a chief dies, several of the finest young men
and women of the tribe are made to swallow mercury till they
suftbeate ; the supposition being that those who thus die con-
tinue to look fresh after death ! Their corpses are placed as a
solemn body-guard round the bier of the dead chief; one hold-
ing his fan, another his pipe, a third his snuffbox. Thus they
are left within a great tomb, covered with frescoes of Buddhist
saints, the entrance to which is curiomsly guarded by a cluster
of bows ready strung, with arrows poised ; ready to tly at any
rash intruder. Sliould any such venture to open the door, it is
supposed that he will in so doing make the first bow' discharge
its arrow ; that it will cause the second to do likewise, and the
second will discharge the third, and so on ! Thus the sanctity
of the tomb is secured. AVhile great men are thus honoured
after death, the bodies of the middle classes are burned in
furnaces, and their powdered bones are mixed with meal, and
kneaded into cakes. These cakes are stowed away in tombs.
The very ])oor are either carried up the mountains or cast into
ravines, a prey to wolves and birds of prey.
Sometimes while we were thus gleaning whatever travellers
more adventurous than ourselves thought fit to tell u.s, a flourish
of bells, trumpets, and horns, from the neighbouring Hindu and
I.amn temples, would summon the people to their evening
worship ; and at each rotation of the great Prayer-wheel the
soft, musical bell chimed with a pleasant tone, which, together
with the subdued hum of human voices, seemed borne away by
the breeze, through the solemn cedar forest, till it floated higher
and higher, and died away among the glittering snows.
But other notes there were, by no means so musical, horrible,
discordant sounds produced by a large shell, or by that trumpet
which we had noticed, made of an elaborately carved human
thigh-bone, the thigh-bone of a lama. The longer the bone, the
more valuable the trumpet. These are generally brought from
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245
Thibet, procured from such bodies as liave simply been exposed
to kites, and other birds of prey, instead of being burnt. Some-
times figures of Buddha are very beautifully carved on these
thigh-bones, and become household gods. One such was sold to
me by a woman, who, with her family, had done it homage for
many years, but had latterly come to the conclusion that it was
not good for much, aud that rupees in the hand were preferable.
Here, and at Pangi, we made a new acquaintance in the great
family of pine trees, namely with the mozo or edible pine {Pinns
Gerardii). Its stem is of the most silvery white, like that of a
very smooth birch, and its cones are full of oblong seeds which
are obtained by half masting the cone. They are very nice and
nutty, though generally rather charred in the process of ex-
traction. This tree abounds here, aud runs up as high as the
birch and juniper level. And then come the slopes of short
green grass, which someone has compared to the twilight gleam-
ing softly between the broad expanse of dark forest gloom and
the dazzling dome of snow which glitters in the eternal sun-
shine ; not a bad threefold description of the great, grand
mountain, from the very base of which we looked up, feeling
ourselves such insignificant pigmies as our glance travelled up-
ward, past great walls of black rock, and green glaciers, and
sharp pinnacles of dark crag, right up to the summit of the
great mountain mas.s, which towers to a height of 21,000 feet ;
a mountain —
“ Whose hentl in wintry graiulrur towers
And whitens with etoviiaJ
While Hiinmier in a veil of flowers
Is sleeping rosy at his feet.’*
Pigmies though we were mid scenes of such stuj)endous
grandeur, we were very happy in the little white tents on those
glorious, moonlight nights of never-to-be-forgotten beauty. And
all night long great fires blazed to scare away the leopards,
which we knew abounded, and though unluckily we never had
the luck of seeing them, we knew that they were none the less
prowling silently round the camp, ready to make short work of
the dogs should they venture only a few yards into the darkne.s.s,
and so give their watchful foe a chance of making a sudden
spring, and taking them unawares. Tlie servants revelled in
the warmth of the great cheery bonfires, and lay close round the
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2Jti FROM THE HEBRIDES
fire curled up in their blankets, and all was very peaceful and
still.
It was with unutterable regret and many a lingering back-
ward look towards all the unexplored beauty we were forced to
leave (more especially that lovely group of peaks up the
valley), that we were forced to bid adieu to beaiitiful Rarung,
and turn once more towards civilization. Happily, however,
we had not got there yet; and still allowed ourselves some
pletisaiit days in the happy valley. Even here, however, some
rain contrived to come, making it a great matter of exultation
occasionally to find that some huge stone had so poised itself
above the roots of some great cedar tree as to form a natural
sketching tent just in the right place. We had now added con-
siderably to our anxieties by having adopted a large family of
young chiror, little baby partridges ; which we hoped to be able
to rear and take home. I need scarcely say, that one after
another died, and our little nursery was sadly reduced ere we
reached Simla. However, they amused us considerably, being
beautiful little creatures. To avoid too closely retracing our
steps, we determined to cross the Sutlej at Urni, and explore
some of the grand old forests which are all too quickly dis-
appearing before the ruthle.ss British axe. We had l)een pro-
mised a welcome from Mr. Paul and his si.stcr, who had made
their pleasant home in this wilderness, and who had undertaken
to have the jula or rope-bridge put in good order for our
benefit. We were therefore considerably dismayed when the
Tiiate, that is, the head man of the village, a.ssured us that there
was certainly no jula at Urni, and the nearest was three miles
down the river at Chergaou, and utterly unsafe ; the last person
who had attempted to cross by it, the ijrevious week, having
lieen drowned. Of course the servants w-ere terrified, and the
coolies vowed they would not risk their lives.
However, we had too much faith in onr friends to believe in
the unsoundne.ss of the bridge, and (tantalizing as it was to look
down on their bungalow at Kilba just opposite to us) we started
on a very rough three miles’ scramble to Cliergaon, where, sure
enough, we found a most horribly unsafe jula — four rope.s,
quite decayed, stretching from rock to rock, while far 1k;1ow
raged the turbid river, swollen by the mass of melteil snow, and
tossing up angry waves, whose spray, blending with the heavy
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247
nioriiing mist, made the larther bank almost invisible. It was
evidently impossible for us all to cross, and the question was
how to get a message sent to Kilba for new ropes.
While we were anxiously discussing the knotty point, one of
our party, an officer of the 60th Rifles, having made up his mind
that the ropes would bear his weight, and that in any case it was
fairer to risk his own life than that of a servant, had quietly
taken his place in the coil of rope, which was the only seat pro-
vided, and gave the signal to the men on the other side to draw
him over. We could not hear their voices for the ragin" of the
flood, but they wrung their hands, and evidently implored not
to Ije compelled to obey, while the coolies round us added their
protestations as to the imminent danger of the proceeding.
However, British sanfifroid had made its calculations, and in
another minute the little coil of rope, containing the plucky
atom of humanity, wiis trembling in mid-air, the mad river
boiling and foaming below, and any accident involving certain
death. It was a moment of brcatlilebs anxiety when a hitch in
the rope kept the coil poised in mid-air for some seconds before
it could be dragged up to the rock, and with thankful relief we
could just discern through the mist a dozen strong arms out-
stretched to draw it in.
We knew it ■would be several hours before the new ropes
could anive, so made up our minds for a quiet picnic, and
having now time to look around us we were much struck by the
beauty of the spot Before us lay a very fine fir clad ravine,
down which tumbled a hill-torrent into the raging river, and
looking up the valley, one snowy peak, 21,000 feet in height,
towered above the mist In the foreground were grouped the
native serv'ants, cooking our breakfast ; and all the picturesque
coolies, in their bright, striped, woollen raiment. Some of them
had attempted to follow the Sahib’s example, and cross the river
with some luggage, but the fact of two of the ropes having given
way, though happily without serious accident, had been a
warning not to Ije disobeyed. So they all sat patiently about
the bank, chatting and laughing. Just at this spot, Chergaon,
a bloody battle had once been fought, in which the brave little
Ghoorkas distinguished themselves, but who their o])ponents
were I am not certain.
Anyone who is very anxious to try the effect of cro.ssing such
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a jitla as this, on a small, safe scale, can get a capital notion of
it without coming so far, as there has from time immemorial
lieen a rope-hridge wherein people are drawn across the Dee at
Ihillater in a basket. Should they, however, wish to rwilize it
more fully, they might make for the Cmdle of Noss, in Shetland,
w hich is just the same s^nt of thing.'
It is a basket with rings which runs along a csihle fastened to
stakes on either side and stretched across the gulf wliieh sepi-
rates the Noup of Noss from a precipitous rock calknl the Holm
of Noss. It seems there is piisturage for a dozen sheep on the
level top of the Holm ; a pasturage too precious to be waste<l,
and the only means of placing the sheep there is for the
shejdierd to cany’ them over one at a time in this Wsket; the
chasm is nl)Out a hundred feet wide and nearly two hundred
deep, SO with a good sea running high below, anyone who likes,
and who is confident of po.'sessing a steady bniin, may test the
pleasure of thus crossing such a stream as the Sutlej. Of course
a fall w’ouhl mean certain death, but though the cradle has l)ecn
in u.se for two centuries no accident has as yet occurred. From
the Noup there is a considerable slope down to the Holm, so
that the cradle will slip down easily enough, but has to be
jmihd up again by those on the mainland. For many a long
century that Ixild crag was deemed by the Shetlanders inacces-
sible, and its sole inhabitants were the myriad sea-fowl
w hose nests still cover every cleft and ledge of the cliff. How
to utilize the gra.ssy summit was a question often mooted and
IIS often abandoned. At length one fearle.ss cragsman was
Itribed to attempt it hy the jtromise of a cow, and while the
islanders watched in breathless excitement he actually succeeded
in scaling the precipice. He fixed the ropes and the cradle, and
had the satisfaction of seeing a man cross the cha.sm bearing the
first sheep that ever pastured on the Holm of Noss. He might
then have returned in safety to claim his cow, but success had
made him foolhardy', and he determined to go back to the main-
land by the same way that he had come, and in .so doing
lui.'ised his footing, and was da.shed to jneces on the cruel rocks.
( >n these Indian streams (and I suppose elsewhere, for we
hear of precisely similar rojie-bi idges being suspendtHi by the
’ Tliia craiilfl amt its jfpar lar.inie so Jangerous, tliat Initli were removnl a few
rears ago, and have not bci ii replacetl. — F.ri.
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natives of Peru in the Cordillera inouiitaius) the niethotl
of be"imiiiij; a bridge is that a party of native.s post them-
selves on either side of a river, each carrying a coil of thin
string with a small stone attached to the end of it its a weight,
hlach flings his string as far as ever he can, and after an im-
mcn.se number of failures, and perhaps several hours’ time, they
succeed in entangling their strings. Then one thin string
after another is twisted on till it can support a rf>pe. And to
tliis is addeil another and another — loosely twisted ropes of wool
or of grass. At last half a dozen or more strong ropes are laid
side by side and fastened to a stout wooden beam on each side
of the stream. This is weighted with heavy stones. The
ropes are drawn us tight as jrossible. Then it is ready for
use.
Some of the natives swing themselves along just like monkeys,
holding on by hands and legs; but this is horrible to see,
knowing that one moment’s dizziness would involve certain
death. Sometimes you sit in a rope coil, like that in which we
crossed ; at other jdaces a wooden triangle is .slung oit tire roiH?
pointing upwards, and you sit in the base of the triangle; if
you are sensible, you will l>e lashed in for fear of accidents.
Then halyards are fastened to this locomotive seat, and so you
are pulleil acro.ss in due time.
In some of the rough and ready y«/«s acro.ss mountain torrents,
far from any village, and where you might wait long enough
before anyone appeared on the other side to draw you over,
there is no second rope for that purpose, but sitting within a hoop
slung on the main rope, the traveller must work his own way
across — a matter re(iuiring no small strength and steadiness of
nerve, especially when giddy with the mighty rush and roar of
the torrent dashing with fearful force down the steep mountain
side, and the certainty of being himself dashed to pieces among
the ciuel iwks should he slip or fall.*
Another variety of native suspension-bridge has a wattling of
wicker-work laid on strong ropes, and sometimes has side ropes
with the same wicker trellis-work; even with this such a bridge
is horrible to cross, as the foot is apt to slip through the open
wicker-work, through which you see the water rushing below.
* Wire ropes, with seats attached, are nae^i in similar fashion for crossing the
chasms of th® Molynenx and other New Zealand rivers. — E d.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
The natives too are apt to be careless in renewing the ropes,
which are very liable to decay.
A still more dangerous form of jula gives no flat roailway at
all for the foot. Only a stout rope of twisted osier or bamlx) 0 ,
while two similar roj>cs give some support to the hand, the
sides being slightly interlaced to connect them with the foot
rope. Such a bridge quivers at every step, and sways witli
every breath of wind. No goat even will cross it, and the
shepherds who bring their laden flocks from Tliibet must carry
each goat and its burden over separately in their anna Such
work requires the head of a Rlondin, while the roi>es are any-
thing but “ tight roj)es.” And yet V)ridges such as the.se are the
sole means of croasing many streams perhaps a liundred yards
wide from rock to rock.
In smoother rivers, where such a thing is po.ssible, a traveller
sometimes floats his own charpoy^ on four inflated massals,^ and
four natives then swim the stream and draw after them this
floating couch, whereon he sits in royal state.
After a delay of some hours a welcome shout announced the
arrival of the strong new rope.s. These were quickly slung
across and made fast, and in a very few minutes more we each
in turn took our seat in the coil of rope, taking the precjiution
of being tied in. 1 should imagine the sensation was akin to
tliat of travelling in a balloon. It was supremely unpleasant.
Tliough our rope hung about a hundred feet above tlie seething,
foaming torrent, it seemed as though we must touch the waters,
also it seemed ns if the waters wert^ at rest and we were dashing
up the stream. The noise was deafening, and the time of
crossing seemed interminable. It was like a horrible nightmare,
in which there was no escape from the surging, tossing mass of
yellow waves below, and from the inaccessible black rock that
rose perj)eudicularly far above. The hitch of the ropes seems
an invariable part of the programme, allowing ample time to
realize the situation, and the frailne.ss of the barrier which alone
separates the two worlds. At last you feel your rope coil once
more in motion, and by a succession of short jerks you are
hauled upward to the rtKiky ledge where you still hang poised
for a few moments, till a dozen strong brown arms can catch the
coil and draw its helple.ss inmate safely to the shore with some
’ Dolsteail. ’ Water-skin?.
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pleasant words of elieery welcome. Then you can sit perdieil
on the rock and watch your friends, your co<jlie.9, and the
ba;ma<'e being drawn over ])iecemeal, and very thankful yon
are when the last human being has come safely to land.
A long, steep scramble eventually brought ns to Kilba, whei-e
we received such a warm and hospitable welcome as every
Hritish wainlerer is certain to lind by the same kindly hearth.
It was strange to find ourselves surrounded by all the lu.xuries
of a Ix>ndou home, except indeed a piano — nevertheless we had
the pleasure of hearing the very newest and most difficult songs
w'arbled without accompaniment by an Anglo-Hirnalayan
nightingale, who possesses the rare gift of imcurately singing at
sight all the treasures of music brought her by the European
]X)st. A strange life too for an English lady, often left quite
alone for weeks among these wild niountaineei’S, while her
brother is looking after his workmen in distant fore.sts,
leaving her in charge of money and of stores for the suj)ply of
hundreds of men ; such a life as involves an amount of energy
and pluck rarely met with. Nor was it only while under this
hospitable roof that her countrymen shared in its comforts.
Scarcely a day pas.sed without .some coolie being despatched with
a load of e.xcellent newly-baked bread to some little tent,
pitched pc'rhaps thirty miles off on some wild jxiss, whose
inmate had well-nigh foi^otten the taste of such dainties. In
truth, no travellers whose far-up country wanderings have bt>en
cheered, and his commissariat again and again rej)lenished by
Miss I’uul’s thoughtful care, can abstain from adding his tribute
to her praise.
Now came the explanation of all our morning’s adv'entures.
It seems the jula at Urni had been thoroughly repaired for cur
benefit, in fact twelve new rojies had been put on the previous
day. But the villagers of Kilba, being detcnnined if possible
to keep away all mutton and flour consuming sahibs, had sent
to the mdte at Urni desiring him at all co.sts to prevent our
crossing the river; in compliance with this request he had
denied the existence of the Urni jula, thinking tlmt v.e would
jirobably be deterred by his nqrort of the other from even giving
it a thought, and so would return by the .same mad a.s we had
come, lie liltle knew what it was to have to do with "the
dominant race.” .Someone suggested that a little personal
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
cliastisenietit would l»e tlie only fonn in which our righteous
retribution was likely to lie felt, and I think we all agreed
that it was well merited. However, the adniini.stering thereof
would have l>ecn illegal and perhaps somewhat derogatory ; so
the lords of the creation j>ractised a “ masterly inactivity,” and
1 fear the rascal escaped scot-free.
The vilhigers, finding that their little stratagem had failed,
tried a new plan, and when we reached the village we fouiul it
desertetl ; every soul had vanished with their flwks and their
herds, nor <lid they return for some days after the dejiarture of
their unwelcome visitors. We wandererl in and out of their
vineyards, among their fields and picture.stjue carved house.s,
overgrown with rich tangles ofgounls and divers fniits, in every
comer of their sacred enclosures and temples. We might even,
had we lieen so inclined, have taken Durgu’s sacred fish from
tlieir tanke — for there remained literally no one to say us nay.
Meanwhile we could get no milk, and even firewixxl was
difiicult to obtain, while the servants found no bazaar at which
to replenish their stores, and, of course, would not touch our fwxl.
Hapjiily our kind hosts were able to supply this last deficiency
from the godotcns or storehou.ses, whence Mr. I'aul supplies his
army of woodcutters with their daily flour.
Hut for this inconvenience there was something rather pleasant
in the unwonted stillness of the village, and while the gentlemen
were exjiloring the forest, and the other ladies were crooning in
a read di'awing-room, I s|M;nt a long plea,sant day, sketching a
very picturcsrjue cedar temple richly caned, perched above ter-
raced vineyards, with the river sweeping almost calndy below in
a broad, smooth reach, and white snow-peaks far above. That
temple was adorned with many trophies of tlie cliase, chiefly
ibex-horn.s, the offerings of I’ahari sportsmen. .Sometinies
travellers in crossing the higher pa.s.ses of these mountains come
to some great cairn of huge stones, which have been heaped up
to the honour of the Spirit of the I’a.ss, and here the skulls and
horns of all manner of wild creatuies have been fastened as to a
shrine. The skulls of the Itarral, the ooriyal, the o?’w ammon,
and the ibex me among those which are thus oftered. I fancy
that the sight of a good specimen thus abandoned to the winds
and snows must be rather a temptation to most sportsmen, but
the reverence and hone.sty of the Paharis would certainly
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Tv fact p. 'ii.*.
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 253
prevent the .sacrilegious appropriation of such treasure-trove.
No coolie wouUl care to shouUler such a burden.
Among the various charms of Miss Paul’s mountain home,
were all manner of tame creatures, the greatest pet of all being
a flying S(piirrel, a most deliglitful little animal. It is just the
size of a common stpiirrel, but the fore paws are united to the
hind ones by a membrane, covered with soft thick fur, and these
outstretched act the part of wings. Even the tail n.ssists its
flight, as each hair seem.s to set itself, iis a bird would set its
feathers, and so acts as a rudder to guide tlie little crejiture in
its flight. It is tlie gentlest of pets, with very large soft eyes,
and the richest warm brown fur, and never seemed so happy ns
when curled round his mistress’s neck, or eating bread and milk
from her hand.
. When the gentlemen returned from their expedition in the
forest of Kunai, they one and all burst into such unwonted
rapture over the glory of one especial group of magnificent old
cedars that I determined to find my way there next morning.
1 think if 1 had realized beforehand how difficult a scramble it
would entail, I might have added it to tlie list of unattainable
beauties. Happily I did not (piite lielieve the general account
of the road, and though even our hostess had never found her
way there, I accepted the version of her brother, whose seven-
league boots make light of all difficultie.s. So ne.xt morning,
when all the gentlemen had gone off in search of beai-s, I started
alone with six stimly Paharis who quite entered into my wish
to reach this almost inaccessible spot, and carried my dmdie
bravely in such places as was possible. Very soon, however,
this became literally an impossibility, the patli lieing so fright-
fully steep that each had enough to do to look out for himself.
So fastening a rope round my waist, for fear of a false step,
which they seemed to think inevitable, they helped me in the
dizzy climb. Sometimes we clambered up the steepest banks
of shingle and large stones, clamlering from one to anotlier,
whUe our feet sank in loose earth and irebbles which slipped
from under u.s, so that we lost ground almost as fast as we
climbed. These long slides seemed almost interminable. At
other times the path was merely a ledge along the face of the
precipice, where even a wild goat might find its footing difficult;
wherever this slight supp<rrt failed, a bit of rude scaffolding
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
2r,i
was Imilt out from tlie rt>ok-face, whereon were laid narrow bits
of plank and shingle, so as to make a giddy n»adway actually pro-
jecting from the cliff ; and as the hmse stones or planks were rather
apt to tilt beneath the hsit, it was always a satisfactory moment
when you had crossed the abyss, and reached the farther rock
in safety, steadying j*f)urs<!lf with your hand against the face of
the preci))ice, while at every touch loose stones would fall, and
go rumbling and tumbling down thousands of feet into the
valley. Meanwhile the path wound higher and higher, and at
hmgth with intense delight we reached the cedar shades of
Kunai. As we strayed farther and farther into the pathless
depths of that glorious primeval forest, or glanced far above the
ilark cedar tops, to where the glittering ice-peaks flashed agiiinst
the deep-blue of heaven, I thought of Ivongfellow’s song, telling
how Nature, the dear old nurse, taught her child day by day to
read her preci(»us Issik. She .says to the little one : —
“ * Here U a stoiy-book
Thy ftttliiT hath writton for thw.
“ ‘Come WKiicltT with mo,' she sahl.
Into ri'Kions yet untrod.
And read what is still iinroad
In the inanasrriiit of (iisl.'
“ And he waudcml away and away
With Nature, the ilear old nurse,
Who sang to him day hy ilay
The rhymes of the L'nivvrse.
" And wheni'Vcr tho way si-enied long.
Or his hi'urt hagan to fail,
.She wcuhl sing a more wondrrful song
Or UdI a more wondi-rful talc.”
— and in truth she had never yet .shown this child so grand a
])icture as the forest sanctuary which we at last reacheil in the
dejiths of that diirk shade. It was only a little cedar-temple, a
mere pigmy beneath the magnificent clump of dtodant that
seemed to reach uj) to heaven, lint the fact of its being there
had shown that the natives considered those trees “ God’s
trees,” so they were sacred and safe from the cruel axe which
was making such sore havoc on every side. It really must l»e
dreadful to a lover of nature to be sent to explore a splendid
for(.‘.st such us this, while yet untouched by workmen’s tools ;
ami to know that henceforth the aim and end of his life mu.st
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 2.’i5
he to devise means of conveying those beautiful trees to the
burning plains to Ik* converted into railway sleepers and bridges,
and all manner of commonplace useful things.
t’ertainly it is a wonderful thing to .see the various con-
trivances by which their transit is ell'ectcd. In most eases tlie
trees grow out from the precipice at such an aiigle as to make
the mere work of cutting thorn a matter of danger and difliculty.
When at last the cloven giant has fallen thundering down the
khiul, the chances are that in its fall it has l>een sma.sheil into
two or three pieces ; in any case it must be sawn into suitable
lengths. Even then the weight of these ponderous beams is
enormous. When the huge logs have thus l«en felled, they
must Ije stampetl with the bniud of the contractor or Govern-
ment, as the case may be. A system of leveiuge brings them to
the next descent, probably an artificially constructed slide down
the face of the khad, and down this when wet and slipper^', or
when newly frozen, the great timliei’s glide.
Several of these in succession, assisted by occasional leverage,
carry them from khnd to khad, i»robably landing them at last in
the lied of a mountain torrent ; and when the next HirkI comes,
maring and thundering, foaming and dashing down over the
rocks in a mighty cataract, it will bring the great logs and
Uyims crashing down the aby.ss, and will at last hurl them into
the raging suow-flo<td far IhjIow, where the Sutlej will toss
them to and fro in its seething waves, and at last float them
ilown to the jdains, hundmls of miles away (the river itself
Ijeing upwards of a thousand miles in length), where only j>oor,
mutilated, scored logs (massive indeed, but oh ! so battered), arc
all that will survive to tell of the j>eaceful, green solitude in
which the first thousand years of their calm, restful life glhled
so gently by.
Now, though your first feeling is of admiration of the beauty
still remaining, your next is of sore regret, as at every few steps
you notice the stumps of far more mighty monarchs than any
now remaining. And cut, ns we should think, so wastcfull}’ ;
always several feet alx)ve the ground, leaving great blocks such
ns might veneer half the tables in Ismdon. Just think what a
I)rize such massive lumps of cedar-wood would have been to
those old Homan connoisseurs who were willing to give such
fabulous juices for furniture made of it, that we hear of Cicen)
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256 FROM THE HEBRIDES
having paid a sum equal to four thousand jMiunds for one table,
w Idle others sold for tlie price of a fine estate ; those most prized
being carved from a single block of cedar, mounted on an ivory
pillar, and surrounded with a circular band of gold. Pliny has
recorded liow the charms of this ivory and cedar-wood had
caused all tlie forests of Idbya to be stiij)ped. Imagine his feel-
ings if he had seen them converted into railway .sleepers, or used
for firewood, while the green forest glades are strewn knee-deep
with torn and ragged branches, all tliat now remains of the
beautiful and lost.
Can you not almost hear the "sad daughter of the River-god’’
making her low, heartbroken moan for the devastation of her
dear solitudes by ruthless men ? —
" TVu’V oam(>. They cut away my talliat i>inca.
My dark tall pinca, that plumcil the cra^y ledge
High over the blue gorge ; and all ladwccn
The snowy peak and snow white cataract
Fostered the callow eaglet. From Itenealh
Whose thick niystcriona lioughs in the dark mom
The ]«inthcr's roar came nmftled.
.... Never, never more.
Shall lone (Fliionc see the morning mist
Sweep through them — never sec them overlaid
With narrow moonlit slips of ailver cloud
Bi-twccn the loud atream an<l the trembling atara."
Xow poor (Euone must take refuge in still more remote
solituiles, if perchance some spots may prove inaccessible to her
foes — some sanctuary where silence yet reigns, and where the
jtresenc.e of mankind has not yet insulted Iter lonely mnjestj'.
Imagine how glorious these forest depths mu.st be in winter,
when tlie light snow falls in dazzling layers on each fiat surface
of those miglity pyramids of green wliich tower aloft so still
and so solemn ; half revealed through the silent, drifting
showers, with here and there a tree half burnt and blackened
standing alone, monstrous and spectral. Sometimes wlien each
weird and awful form is magnified by the cold grey mist, they
seem transfomed into an army of mysterious spirits— .so pale
and dreamy, appearing and disajipcaring amid the vapours like
gigantic blue pliantoms.
J?ut to-day the forest was all bathed in sunshine, ami the
glowing liglit slione on great red .stems and glossy layers of
green, studded with paler cone.s, and the air was scented with
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 2r.7
the breath of wild llowers, and resinous fir needles. Presently
the bill-women a.sseinhled from far and near, with their little
ones, to inspect the first irhite woman, so still called from
courteay, though in truth retaining small claim to such a dis-
tinction ! who had penetrated to their fastnesses. Some of them
were strikingly handsome, with very fair complexions, and
masses of beautiful dark hair ; having moreover calm, thoughtful
faces, that agreed well with the ileep, dreamy eyes of these
children of the fore.sts.
As usual, we could fraternize only by signs, for I harilly
knew a dozen words of Hindustani, and not one of the semi-
Thibet patois spoken in the hills. Put though we coubl not
exchange ideas, the human courtesies are always easily under-
stoml, and the novelty of watching a sketch being made, and the
jdciwurable alarm of looking through my opera-glass Wiis suffi-
cient attraction to keep them hapjiy for some hours. As to my
watch, it had unfortunately cease<l to tick, a matter however t>f
very small importance, where the ]iosition of the sun and its
lengthening shadows were an all-.sulficieut guide for such vague
laws of time ns those we owned.
These lassies, thus a.ssembled in picturcsipie gronjis areun 1
the little temple, afforded a good standard of size, whereby to
judge of the real magnitude of the stately giants which over-
shadowed them. At first the mind coubl hardly take in the
jiossibility of anything much grander.
Yet I su])])ose that scarcely one tree in that group could have
much exceeded thirty feet in girth ; so that, in the wonderful
scale of (Yeution these are, after all, mere pigmies compared
with some of the mammoths of the Xew World, dust imagine
such a group as we here describe in Upper California, a family of
ninety Wellingtonias .scattered over a spsice of about forty acres,
towering far above the lofty jdne-forcsts ; the jiuniest of the
brotherhood being about fifteen feet in diameter, that is, one-
third larger than these grand Himalayan cedars, and tl.eir
height in some instances actually double. One of the group,
named “ Hercules,” is ”>25 feet high, and *J7 fc(*t in circumference.
Of the " Father of the Forest ” (though now blown down by
some mighty tempest), 300 feet of the trunk remain unbroken,
and the circumference at the base is 112 feet.
The Australian gum trees grow to much the same height and
VOL. II. 8
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258
FROM THE HEBRIDES
bulk. One near Mount Wellington measures 102 feet in cir-
cumference, at three feet from the ground. Its height, owing to
the density of the forest, could not lie estimated. But its ne.xt
neighlwur was 90 feet in circumference, and 300 in height.
In the great Brazilian forests, too, we hear of huge locust trees
84 feet in circumference, so that fifteen Indians, with out-
stretched arms, can only just encircle them. Nor do we need go
beyond Europe for specimens of colossal growtii. Mr. Go.sse
tells us of a yew tree in the clmrchyard of Grasfonl, in North
Wales, measuring 50 feet in girth below the brandies. Also of
lime trees in Lithuania 87 feet in circumference. He also men-
tions an oak near Saintes in France, 90 feet in girth at tlie
ground, in whose hollow trunk is a room 12 feet wide, with a
beneli carved out of the living wood — the door and window
being veiled with ferns and lichens.
Equally marvellous are tliose gigantic Uwana trees in tlie
South African forests, .so often descriljed to us by one who loved
to lialt Ids waggon beneath their shadow, and who .soon learned
to look upon such trees as were only thirty or forty feet in cir-
cumference as quite insignificant; for all along the valley of
the Limpopo he had camped beneath trees of from sixty to a
hundred feet in girth, with stems rising like mighty columns for
perhapis thirty feet, before throwing out their huge branches,
with thick foliage like that of a sycamore. The.se giants of tlie
forest generally stand somewhat alone, towering above their
humbler brethren.^
Yet while I am driven to confess that my dear cedars of
Kanai cannot claim a foremost rank among the giants of the
tree world, I do maintain that no group more stately and
majestic ever ruled in the broad greenwood, and many a time
they rise before my memory as a vision of beauty that sadly
dwarfs the smaller growth of other lauds.
It was quite distressing to have to turn away again, but the
afternoon was drawing on, and the long steep de.scent proved
fully more difficult than even the morning’s climb, so that the
snows were sunset-flushed, and the valley bathed in purple
evening light, long ere we reached the pleasant bungalow, where
an evening of rest, and of music, proved even more acceptable
than usual.
* A Hunter's Lift in South Africa. By Rmialejn Ciordon Cumming.
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259
From Kilba we were sorely tempted to diverge, and explore
the lovely Baspa Valley, at least as far as the village of Sangla,
where the climate in summer is said to be quite delightful. It
is beyond the influence of the rains ; and for months together
we might there have found the bliss of one long summer’s day,
feasting on the grapes which abound throughout the Koonawar
district, and which are fine and of excellent flavour. They are
of many varieties, some of which are made into wine ; others
dried and exported to Thibet.
The Baspa Valley is about sixty miles long, and is mostly richly
cultivated, or else is green pasture land, with rivulets, flowers,
and fruit trees. The \'alley is sometimes wide, sometimes narrow^
dotted with most picturesque villages. The hills are clothed
with cedar, walnut, pine, and birch, above which rise the glitter-
ing snow-peaks. A rise of 8,000 feet brings you to the source
of the river, near which there is no wood, only a wide grassy
valley, with grassy hills on either side, and the snow-ridge
appearing just above.
Many pleasant plans were discussed for exploring this Para-
dise. Could we have lingered there for one blissful month, our
homeward march would have been quite delightful, as we should
have altogether missed the rains. However, no further leave
could possibly be obtained ; so with sore reluctance we turned
from all this unattainable beauty to face the wet world, which
we knew awaited us within a couple of marches.
H
o
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CHAPTER IX.
CHTI.DREN OF THE MIST.
** To roam at large among uniwopled glen**
Ami mountaiuoiLs retirementa, only trod
r»y derious foot»te)t8 ; regions consecrate
To oldest Time ! ami while tlie mists
Hying, and rainy vajwurs, call out shapes
And phantoms from the crags and solid earth,
.... And while the streams
Descending from the region of the clouds
And starting from the hollow of the earth
More multitudinous every moment, rend
Their way before thorn— what a joy to roam
An equal among miglUiest energies !
Our next canijiing ground was in the dark forest of Rimnee.
Thither the would-be sportsmen had preceded us, in .searcli, a.s
usual, of those mythical bears. We two ladies preferred remaining
a few days longer at Kilba. Wlicn, however, wo judged that it
was time to follow, we started one afternoon for Ramnee. On
airiving, we received a message that tlie gentlemen liad pro-
longed their hunting expedition, and had gone for some days to
higher ground.
I believe that in our innermost hearts we were both very
much delighted at the novelty of finding ourselves thus
literally “unprotected females” in tliis wild place ; so we pitched
our tiny tent (we had but one) on an open space in the heart of
the great forest, vainly hoping for the blessed stillness which
we had imagined that here at Iciist we should surely find, but
as usual we were disappointed. Hundreds of wild Paharis
were at work in the forests all round us; while others were ham-
mering away at a new bungalow, which was to be the home of
the Officer of the Forest.s, who was one of the shooting party.
^Ve dared not move our tent farther from the servants’ fire for
fear of the leopards, which abound.
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Tn truth all our visions of the "rand .stillues.s of these ancient
forests had long ago been dispelletL 'Wlierever we went, Sun-
day and week-day (dike — from early dawn till deepening twi-
light — the unvarj'ing noise of the a.xe ; the crash of trees
smashing over rocks far down tlie khad, and the incessant
monotonous chaunt and refrain of tlie coolies as they work,
greeted our wearied oars, varied by the harking of dogs at night,
or the Hindu chatter and hubble-bubble, which seem never to
cease. So we were fain to spend much of each day in a nook
close by the stream, whose ceaseless noise, in some measure,
drowned the human voice.
The forest in which we now were much resembled that of
I’oindah, the tall tapering spires of morinda, rye, and kindretl
pines greatly predominating over the deodar. One dark hill
towered behind another, all pine-clad, and beyond lay tlie
Shatool Piuss, where the sport.smen were encamped ; a ^la-ss just
the height of Mont Wane, but overlooked by one gieat peak
towering, five thousand feet higher.
“ A po.ik of ilrrad
That to tin- evening sun uplifts
The griesly gulfs and slaty rifts
Which seam its shivered head."
A magnificent crown to this savage forest scenery, a crest where
ofttimes the eternal sun.shine rests steadfastly, while dark chmds
gather round its base, and the voice of rolling thunder whispers
of the raging storms that have .shattered so many of the grand
old trees, and of the wild winds that have uprooted others, leav-
ing the depths of the forest strewn willi priceless timber, rotting
where it fell.
The rocks hereabouts include granites of divers colours ; also
mica schist, which we were told is full of garnets. We ilid not
care, however, to add our hammering to the various distracting
noises ; but rather loved to sit in idleness beneath green leave.s,
sometimes watching the great logs gliding down long grassy
slojies from the crags above, right ilown to the river, sometimes
content with merely w atching the light drapery of mist, the
silvery cloud that sometimes
“ Lost Us wny between the piney sides of tliis long gb ii ; ’’
and that curled and twined in and out among the dark trees, as
though it could not escape.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
On the third evening our Ninirods returned. As soon as we
espied their torches glimmering on a far hill-side, we lighted
blazing wood fires to guide them to our camp. Their foray had,
as usual, been unsuccessful ; they had found literally no trace
of animal life, though enough of beautiful scenery to make some
amends. They brought with them, however, a very great
prize, namely two “ Pahari Kootte,” hill dogs. The only sort
that will face leopanls, therefore the only dog of any use in
guarding the flocks. In size and form they are like very harge
Scotch collie dogs. As soon as the dog is old enough to bear it,
he is adorned with a wide metal collar, armed with strong
spikes. Thus protected, he will face and often kill a leopard.
Nevertheless, these, by cunning craftines.s, sometimes take him
unawares, and contrive to spring ou him, so that sooner or later
almost every hill dog falls a victim. Although the leopards are
thus abundant, they are very rarely seen, as they only prowl
ab ut at night, and hide shyly and warily in the daylight.
The flocks are also sometimes attacked by l)ears. These
gencnilly eat green food ; grass and roots, fruits and berries,
often attacking the cornfields, or sitting ou the branches of some
big oak or apricot tree, eating their acorns and fruit. Their
animal food is generally confined to beetles, scorpions, and such
insects, but once they have tasted sheep their preference for
blootl is incunible. They become worse enemies than sheep-
worrying dogs. Then, too, they Itecome fearless, and will attack
men, generally making for the face ; several times we saw their
victims, whose countenances, horribly mutilated, told a hideous
tale. When the flocks are thus endangered, traps are set and
baited with flesh ; and the bears, having now learnt to eat nn-
scrupulously of any meat they can find, arc thus snareil.
The pluck of the.se hill dogs of course makes them priceless
trea.sures to the shepherds, who are very jealous of allowing one
to leave the country'. We were indebted to a Forest Officer for
procuring us these two bl.ick puppies, which already were about
the size of an average sheep-dog. They were only three months
old, yet the poor infants were already orphans, father and
mother and various other relations having been eaten by the
leopards. Uenceforth it was our anxious charge every evening
to tie them up in camp at sunset, lest they should share the
same fate. Mrs. Graves called her dog Kilba ; mine was
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named Ramnee, in memory of our two last halts. A more
Ixjautiful pair of dogs never were seen than the.se silky
creatures, of the glossiest black aiul tan. They were the ad-
miration of all beholdei-s. All the natives of the lower
valleys would gather round to look at them ; and amongst
white men too tliej’ proved a fertile subject of conversation,
as everyone declared that, beautiful as they were, the whole
breed was hombly treacherous, and that s<3oner or later we
woidd find good cause to repent having adopted such play-
fellows.
I overheard many such pleasant prophecies when we re-
turned to Simla — stories of such dogs having become house-
hold pets, and then turning savage. In one instance, when
a huge dog had tlnis made himself the terror of the whole
family, more especially of the native.s, he continued perfectly
obedient to his little master, a chihi of about six yeai-s,
whose commands he would at once obey implicitly. All I can
say for our beautiful puppies, is that as they grew up, they
became more and more gentle. In character they pnived as
unlike as most other brothers. As to Kilba, his intellect anil
his atlections were alike concentrated in his stomach, and he
transferreil his allegiance so entirely to the mess that his
mistress shortly resigned all claim to him.
But Ranmee proved a i>erfect darling, and became the pet of
the household. He would lie for hours on the balcony, beside
the nursery window, and would allow the children to pull his
ears and his tail and his great brown feet, and sometimes would
take a little hand quite gently in his great mouth ; or else
lie .sleepily wagging his tail, just to show how pleased he was
with things in general. Another of our household pets was a
jungle kitten, who had adopted my brother-in-law for its master,
and coming shyly to the house, used to ask him for daily milk,
till at last it became a natural inmate of the house. At first
we were rather nervous ns to how our canine and feline pets
would agree ; and with good reason, for the kitten would some-
times make most unpiovoked attacks on the puppy, who could
not always resist giving an indignant snap in return. But very
soon they became sworn friends : and it was the prettiest sight
imaginable to see the huge, black puppy playing great, heavy
antics with the neat, active little kitten, .spnnging about and
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264 FROM THE HEBRIDES
aUitiuliniz'mg in tlie most afl'ected way. As to the Vnown mon-
keys anil the white langonrs who came to inspect liim, they
were to him a source of euilless astonishment. He would fly
at tliem the moment they approached, and very quickly Imnisheit
such intruders from the jiremises ; wliereupon they would take
up safe quartos in some tree close by, and chatter derisively at
him. We did not think, however, that ho might have equal
influence with the leopards who had occasionally carried off dogs
from the neighlxiuring verandahs, and would doubtIe.ss have
thought him a delicious morsel. So he always slept in my
room, and had his morning cup of tea like the other memljers
of the family, while Miss Kitten had her bread and butter.
We determined that kitten and pujipy must never be sepa-
rated, so when the time came for our return to England the
kitten was jnovided with a travelling basket, to which, however,
it showed so unconquerable an avemion that after reaching
Meerut it was handed over to a family m roiitt to I'eshawnr, and
was last seen perched on the back of an elephant on its svay
thither. As to the dear black dog, his journey was a time of
exceeding nii.sery. The railway oflicifils could give him no
cooler cairiage than a dog-compartment, next the engine, and all
we could do was to give him a great brass ba.son full of water to
fre.shen him a little. 15y the time we reached IlomlKiy he was
.seriously ill, and the heat there being very great, although it
was December, he lay for a week jianting ln-eathle.ssly, though
our ludcony, at the top of the llyculla Hotel, caught every faint
Seabreeze.
On tb.c homeward voyage he sufl'ered still more. A week at
Cairo, however, quite set him up, and when he reached England
and had the delight of once more rolling in deep snow-drifts,
liamnee was himself again. He wandered about the park,
making friends with all the bucks ; and fraternized with all the
Sussex farmers, amongst whom he established a regular visiting
li.st ; trotting off to any house he fancied, condescending to
accept a drink of milk, and jircsently trotting home again.
But alas! evil days were at hand. A summer, well nigh
api>roaching Indian heat, proved too much for this child of the
snows. On Sunday, like a resjiectable Christian, he accom-
]ianicd the family to a church so unenlightened as to make no
provisii n for dogs. So he had to wait outside. Next dav he was
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seriously ill, nn<l for a wliole week he lingered in great suffering
without any apparent cause. It lias been suggested that he was
maliciously poisoned by some miscreant, but we tried to Ixilieve
it was a case of sun-stroke. The following Sunday he died,
and though he was “ only a dog,” few human beings have Ijeen
more truly missed and mourned. He wils buried beneath a fine
old lieech tree beside tlie water, where he used to sit and con-
temjilate tilings in general. And this is all I have to tell you
alKHit the dear hill dog.
We remained one day more in Ramnee forest, then started
again. At first our route lay through greenwood, filbert, elm,
n.sh, walnut, horse-ehe.stnut, and soon. Then along very pre-
cipitous cliffs above the Sutlej, on the oppo.site side to tho.se
we had travereed on our way up the valley. The river seemed
fidler, and its yellow waves more noi.sy and Imisterous than
ever. We could scamely believe those who assured us that a
month or two later when the snows had ceased to melt, a calm
clear river, reliecting the blue .sky, would here I'un its ]x?aceful
coui-se. We had now reached Wangtu, whence we merely re-
traced oui' former stejis. Three miles more brought us back to
Nachar, where we again camped so as to overlook the green glade
lieneath the great diiHlnrs. The rains were now setting in in
gootl earnest ; yet such sunn}’ hours its came between the storms
seemed all the more brilliant in contrast with the sullen grandeur
that had gone before, when the dark clouds had rolled away, and
the distant thunder still muttered among the black crags, giving
a voice to every mountain, so that woodeil valleys and icy
peaks seemed to call one another in some strange language of
their own. We halted here another week, jiartly detained by
lack of coolies, for the cholera had not stayed its ravages, anil
many more victims had died while we were up tlie valley. To
us it wa.s no hanl.ship to be detained in such beautiful quarters.
W c e.xjilored different forests, for the most part, however, sorely
deviustated by the hand of man ; while here and there the
shattered pieces mark the ravaging stonns that sweep down from
the mountains with such overwhelming force, grim weather-
beaten veterans, stately mourners that will not tiend, though
often the tall stems are strip])ed of their limb.s, and remain torn,
liattered, and desolate. Sometimes we lingered in the forest
under shelter of some great rock to watch the gathering storm,
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
2»i6
when the low “ Houjjhino ” of tlie wind in the tree tops and tlie
hnsli of every twitterinj' hirtl told what was coining. Then over
earth and sky would sjiread a luriil, leaden colour, stem, cold,
and desolate. Grey clouds, grey rocks, grey steins. Soon the
distant trees begin to rustle and bend, heralding the appnuich of
the tempest, and the wind sweeps down in hollow intermittent
gusts, and then loses itself in the forest, howling and moaning
on its way. Tlie gusts come quicker and (piicker, till the wiiul
is ince.H,sant. Tlie tall ]>inc trees bend and sway and writhe, as
though wrestling with some invisilde foe, nigiiig in fury. Some-
times they disa]i])enr in the cloud wreath. Then comes a crash,
and some great stem has snn]tped and fallen, mortally wounded
by the sjiirit of the storm. The hills are all shrouded in grey
drift, and heavy blackness lests on the mountain tops, but every
now and again, the whole earth and heavens are lighterl by the
crimson fires that play round the summits,
" Fliuliiog tliruugh liiiiil night iiih'rnul >lay.”
Then a rumbling, rolling sound tells that some riven iwk has
been .shaken down by the thunder, and, leaping finm height to
height, is dashing downwanl in headlong career.
IVc.stmtly the lightning’s glaiv is followed by an awful dark-
ness, and a luirfect deluge of rain. It is more than rain — it is a
watersjKmt. Then comes a sudilen change. The t«miie,st is
jiast, the rain ceases, the 8torni-s]iirit.s llee, and ca])ricious lights
and shadows begin to play hide and seek in eveiy corner when'
you least expect them. First comes one vivid gleam falling on
moss-gnarled .stems, and revealing delicate ferns in the sheltered
crevices of the rock. Soon the sun bursts forth in his glory, and
shows every hill-.side streake.d with silvery .streamlets, while in
the valley float white wreaths of mist, noiseless as sjiirits, which
glide ghostlike tlmaigh those dark glades shrouding the ghastly,
burnt trees with softi'st, fleeciest drajtery, and lending a stninge
veil of mystery to the ])iimeval fonvst, where every bough of the
gaunt old timlaT is Ix'anleil with i>ale. gniy lichens, falling in
long filaments fi-oiii beneath the dark foliage of the pine.s. There
is r.othing so deathlike as this silence of the mist, when your
own footfall .sounds dull and muttlcil, and even the insects cease
to chirp ; awed by that still spiritual prc'^ence of " ancient .silence,
robed in thistledown.”
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There was one crag not far from our tents that was my
especial delight on a misty es-ening such <as this. A patch of
the forest had accidentally been burnt years previously; but
still the ghostly white stems pointed heavenward, like weird
fingers, and the place had such an eerie feeling of desolation and
solitude that the dullest imagination could not fail to people it
with spirits such as the Paharis recognize. I found my way
back to the same spot night after night.
Looking from here, one day, we saw a curious effect of what
seemed to be cpiivering liglit in the valley. At first we thouglit
it was the tremulous haze of steam rising; then it seemed almost
like a snow shower, with the bright sun glittering on each
dazzling flake. "U'e could scarcely believe those who a.ssured us
that it was “ only a locust cloml : " yet so it was, the valley was
full of them. They had come, tempted doubtless by the lovely
pale green fields, of which they would soon make sore havoc,
and meanwhile, as the light glanced on their gauzy wings, the
whole air seemed (juivering.
Once more we started on our homeward route, still retracing
our former steps, yet often almost wondering whether the scenes
so altered by raj)id growth of vegetation could really Isj the
same. The change of our own valleys fmm the barren ploughed
lauds of March to the laughing harvest-fields of Augu.st could
not be more comj)lete. Each mossy stem was now clothed to
the topmost Iwugh with every sjMjcies of graceful fern, growing
in wild luxuriance. Each crevice of the rocks, each stem of
fallen tree, was alike veiled with the same delicate tracery ;
the light, feather)' fronds of what we call hothouse ferns : some
iwwdered with gold, some with silver, some smooth an<l glossy,
some like finest lace-work. And the ground below was one
bed of dewy moss, brilliant with large white anemones, scarlet or
crimson potcntilla, and masses of forget-me-not of a blue more
vivid than any paint can render. Whole fields of the plant we
call “ Prince’s Feather ” are here cultivated ns grain, and a
beautiful crop it is; the grain being of the deepest crimson,
hanging like a plume, while the leaves are vivid scarlet. These
lie like patches of deep red, among the rich ripening com-fields,
and light green pasture lands, which here and there nestle amid
the dark forest.
The hills we had left so dreaiy and brown, were now one vivid
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263 FROM THE HEBRIDES
f(reen, witluleoji blue shadows runnin"ri"ht up to the snows, and
showiii'; red and purply cliffs, the whole half-veiled by soft
mysterious “clouds of dewy steam,” which one of o»ir men
IKjinted out, unconsciously reminding us of our unsi-ientific
tmnslation of King David’s words. “See,” he said, “how Ihe
mountains do smoke ! ”
llcautifiil as were the curling vapours, revealing wonderfid
glim]>se3 of mountains magnified even Ixivond reality, and vivid
the glorious outgoings of morning and evening, we bitterly re-
gretted the fate which was bringing us more and more into the
rains, the ground in many j)laces lieing so comjdete a swamp
that cami)ing w;us imjio.ssible, and we were genendly com}Kdled
to halt at the road bungalows. Several of these were in process
of rebuihling, so that on one night a couple of sheds, with a fine
view of the sky through the oi»en rafters, and on another one
unfinished nx)m with neither dmw nor window to keep out the
drifting storm, was the only nduge for all our party — human
and animal, young rhicor, and I’almri pui>pies included. The
servants found refuge under a big n>ck, in a cactus-grove hanl
by (the cactu-ses were as huge as well-giown elder trees), and
there turned out a dinner which to us seemed worthy of a
Ixjndon emsinf !
At K<itghar our friends at the Mission Station lent us a
charming bungalow on the hill at Thandarh for ns long ns we
liked to remain. I’ight glad we were when wo had accompli.shcsl
the hist steep a.scenl of five thou.siuid feel, and once more reached
tlie pleasant re.st-house, overlfX)king the tea-plantations. It
was with j>o.sitive joy that we heard the weary n>ar of the Sut-
lej growing fainter and fainter, till at la.st it became merely a
low, distant murmur that from time to time floated upward in
whispering echoes on the pine-scented breeze.
It was with great regret that we. at length bade adieu to our
kind friends Herr Ileb.scb and his family, who had proved such
g(HKl friends in time of neeil. On my last morning, when I was
to .start alone for Narkanda, I went down the hill at break of
day, and spent a pleasant hour sketching their vine-covered
home. After a cheery breakfast, I went on my way rejoicing,
escorted for some distance by these kind genii of the wilds. As
we pa.s.sed through their orchard, they shook a laden tree for my
special benefit, and fdletl my dajuUe with golden npple.s, a share
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 269
fif which won the hejirts of many brown bairns. Afy compa-
nions remained at Thandarh two days longer, but I was anxious
to halt at Narkanda to fini.xli a dmwiiig. On arriving there I
was greeted by dear little I’amnee, the hill pujipy, whom I ha<l
left at Tliandarh with his brother, but who came in search of me
on his own account. So he and I went off drawing together ;
and two lovely brown children, all eyes and eyelashes, who had
seen me gathering Howcrs, devoted the whf)le afternoon to col-
lecting armfuls of .scarlet, and white, and blue, till they had
heaped up a llower-wall round us.
Next morning w;is glorious. Just the day to paint in Ilatto
forest ; so thither we wont, llamnee and I, with the usual lot of
brown Highlanders. Far overhead the tall tree to])s were still
wreathed with clu.stering mas.ses of red and white roses clam-
liering in enilless profusion to the very topmost boughs, and
thence hanging in rich festoons, while every breath that stirred
sprinkled the earth with .showers of rosy j>etals. And the
ruddy suidight shone warm on roses and trees, and played
in broken gleams on the feathery undergrowth of ferns and'
reetls, glancing on the velvety black and gold mos.ses till they,
too, sparkled like jew'els. And far above all, the glittering ice-
IK-aks seemed to reach up into heitven, and their Im’ghtness so
dazzled our sight that as we gazed they seemed to lose them-
selves in the glowing light.
But our piith lay down the hill, and frf)in the valley far
iKjneath us quiet grey mists were silently stealing upwards.
Soon we had left the sunlight, and the shadow of the great pine
forest encomj)a.ssed us. Still we desccnde<l, and slowly the mists
were creeping iqjwanls, and a chill breath seemed to go lx;foro
them, as though giving warning of their approach, and hushing
all nature to silence. Even my brownies shivered as we entered
that cloud. As they carrie<l me down, it felt iis though they
were bearing me on into the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
On every side white .spirits seemed to float, impalpable, and
grave, and solemn. As I stretched out my hands it seemed as
though I could well-nigh grasp some tangilde form, but the pale
shrouded ghosts passed on unheeding, with slow, measured,
noiseless pace.
Even the trees seemed floating by, as if I were at rest, and
they in motion. The rugged half-burnt stems seemed trans-
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
formed to earth-dwarfs and frost-demons — those strange
shadowy beings wiio dwell in these dark forests. On every
side the tall cedars reached out giant arms. They seemed
doubly giants now — pale diaphanous blue ghosts, like the
shadowy, moonlit heroes of weird German or Gaelic legends ;
mighty sentinels, kee]»ing watch in solemn silence — an oppres-
sive silence ; a stillness so inten.se that you could not but feel it.
Fain would I have broken the .spell by .speaking .some human
words, but I could find none, for the language of the hill-men
was to me an unknown tongue ; and the brownies, too, were
hushed, like every living thing.
Soon the chill luLst gave place to heavy droj)s of rain, and ere
we had time to seek a sheltering rock a veiy deluge was iijwn
u.s. No English rain, gentle and summery — not even an
English storm — Imt a rain jwuring as though the floodgates of
heaven were opened wide, and their work must l)e done quickly.
Soon from every crag the waters were rushing down, leaping in
sudden torrents; and the path seemed gliding from beneath our
feet, while streams rushed past us ixs though along their natural
channel. Then overhead the heavens gathered blackness. The
reil ligiilning streametl and flashed on every side, till to our
blinded eyes it seemed to glance down the black tree-stems at
our very feet.
When the storm had in some measure abated we returned to
Narkanda .soaked and crestfallen. It was mortifying to .see the
calm sunshine in the afternoon, as if the moniing’s work had
V>ecn all a dream. As usual, however, it was only a case of
reader pour luieux sauter, and at night again the whirling
tempest raved and shwk the house, and the tall pines rocked in
the howling blast, while all manner of plaintive night-voices
mingled with the roaring of mountain-torrents, swollen by the
rains.
Henceforth each day’s march was just the same .story with varia-
tions. Nowhere were we more struck by the grandeur of storm
effects than in the black pine forests of Hatto and Mahasso.
Beautiful as these had been in sunlight, the intense, misty
darkness now overhanging them gave a weird solemnity to the
scene, which lent to it an inexpressible charm. Everj’ day we
were overtaken by terrific thunderstorms, which crashed around
us with deafening grandeur ; then lingering echoes reverberated
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TO THE HIMALAYAS.
271
from one dark mountain to another, and ere they died away the
next vivid flash of li<i;litning seemed playing all around u.s. In
truth it was vei-y glorious, and we felt only exhilaration at the
majesty of the scene.
Still there is no denying that our jterceptions of the sublime
were apt to 1x3 somewhat damped hy the drenching rains that
invariably followed, and that, when at length on a day of
calmest .sunshine, we once more found ourselves at Simla —
wolulrous tokon
Of Heaven's kind care, with necks unbroken "
— we were forced to admit that its luxuries were very charming,
and that a cheery, welcome homo was no had tennination to our
delightful three months in the wilds.
I I'ear we must have boreil our friends a good deal with the
attempt to make them realize the scenes in which we had found
such enjoyment, for of course all verbal dascriptions must be
full of sameness, while nature is always varied ; and we may use
up all the .sujH3rlatives expre.ssive of beauty without conveying
the ghost of an idea of what the reality was. At best our
lx)red hearer can Imt eyolve .some fancy picture from out his
“ inner consciousne.s.s.” In the present instance, however, there
was as much to hear as to tell. Simla small-talk for three
months — births, marriages, and oh ! how many death.s.
Then we got our map of the Himalayas to trace our route, and
felt what pigmies we were when we found that the whole
ground of our three months’ wanderings lay between the H and
the I of
HIMALAYA MOUNTAINS,
and that the mountain rc'gion cov(*re<i a tract well-nigh as wiile
as it was long.
For a whole month longrsr the rains continued, sometimes
pouring and clattering, till you would have fancied the house
must 1x3 washed away — a perfect deluge. There was no whole
day, however, of which some hours, or at least some small
portion, was not beautiful, all the more so by contrast ; but even
then the whole world seemed shrouiled in dense grey mi.st,
veiling the hills, and trees, and sky.
We were, indeed, tnie children of the mist, for often from
dawn till night it encompa.s.sed us on every .side, sweeping into
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
the house iii ilull k-ailen domls, so thick that often we could
scarcely see the other eml of the verandah, or even the tall
Indian oaks close round the house, or the toj>s of those growing
on the khnd below, whose masses of dark foliage api>earetl one
moment only to vanish the next, like spectres in a dream. Even
the ferns, which fringed the dripping branches, looked black, as
the light mist playe<l in and out amongst them.
Perhaps after several consecutive days of this dull, grey cloud
world, .some invisible hand seemed to draw aside the thick
curtain for a moment, and .show you a glimpse of what might
well weni a spirit-land. A few glittering ]>eaks of snow, distant
tipwards of a hundred miles. You never sa%v the whole range ;
only a little mysterious i>eep, perhaps ju.st flushed with ro.sy
light. No foreground. No middle-distance. Nothing but one
little rift in the grey cloud-curtain. Pefore you had half drunk
in this vision of delight it w;us gone. Perhaps a few moments
later you might catch a glimpse of the valley far la-low you.
The deep kluul.t richly w otaied, or terraced fields of many colours,
dotted with tiny villages. Perhaps only a sweeping drajK-rv- of
emerald green p:i.sture, like smoothest velvet. Perha])S a group
of dark oaks and rhododendrons, with Idackest foliage. P.ut oidy
one thing at a time, and all else utterly blotted out in cold grey
mi.st, as if a great ])icture had all Iteen sjionged clean out, .save
some little pet bit in the middle. There wius, however, almo.st
always an hour before sunrise when the whole snowy range
slooil clear from end to end— in clear cold outline. Then soon
after dawn the mist ro.so.
"With the rains came an incre;use of insect life; iiotliing very
serious however. A considerable numl)cr of tho.se lovely little
silver fish-insects, which riddle muslin and destroy j)aj>er with
their sharp invisible teeth. And a vast number of flying crea-
ture.s, a sort of ant, I believe, w Inch dropped countless wings
all over the table every night. In fact, but for their wdngs, we
should hanlly have noticed their pre.sence.
But our bath-rooms were the favotirite haunts of horrible
creature.s. Some peojde found seoiiuons, and occitsionally the
mother scorjiion carried several habies on her back ! when the
whole family were exterminated at one fell swoop. Our dis-
coveries were limited to creatures with lean laidies, and a hundred
long, hair-like legs; not the true centipeile, but doubtless some
\
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near relation. And as to spiders ! ! ! There is a picture by
Gustave Dori5 showing “ Tlie spare attic ’’ in some fairy talc,
where every comer of the room is haunted by huge, hairy, liomlde
black spiders with long thick legs?. Tliat spare attic is the
counterpart of every Indian bath-room in the rains.
Occasionally, to complete your entomological studies, you
may find a young leech in your tub. Tliese aliound in the warm
damp valleys, and sometimes find their way even here. Tliey
are of two sjiecies — the land and tire water leech ; and prove
intensely annoying both to human beings and other creatures, ns
they lie hidden in rank vegetation or in deep stagnant pords,
and fasten on the animals tliat come to drink, getting into the
nostril or throat, or adhering to the legs of human licings. The
natives mb the bites with tobacco and lemon juice, with some
effect. But once a leech has taken up its alwde in the nostrils
of a dog, it Is very difficult to extmet it again, llie |Kior
creature’s head swells. Everything is tried 1>y turns. It is tied
up far from water, and its nostrils filled with salt. Then after
some hours it is brfiught close to water, yet not allowed to drink.
A cup of Tantalus, it is thought, will induce the leech to crawl
out. Even this rarely answera, and the only remedy is for some
native to sit watching for hours with pinchers, ready to seize
the little black head the moment it nj)pears.
Tlie "rains” made wonderfully little diflerence in the gre-
garious propensities of the Simla Avorld. There was ju.st tlie
same continuous round of balls, theatricals, concerts, parties of
all sorts, by day and by night, and a very pleasant social life it
was, whenever the weather hnj'pened to be fine — and son. chow
it had rather a kindly habit of clearing up towards evening — sr>
that on the whole, a wetting was not quite so common as might
have lieen expected, and we learnt to look on wnteiqirouf cloak.s
ns the natural finish of our evening toilets.
As the rains liegan to cease, the country became so l>eautiful,
the hills so clear, the people so pleasant, that it became a matter
of jiositive regret when the last day of September came, on which
I was again to leave my own people and go to other old friend.s
at the hill station of IMa.ssourie, alias Landour; the former being
the Civil, the latter the Military division of the same hills.
I was, in fact, to have started a day or two sooner, but a
landslip had carritsl away part of the new road, and there was
VOL II. 1
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274 FROM THE HEBRIDES
no possibility of getting away by it, and not a coolie could be
had to go by the other road. The Di\k Gharry (alias little
travelling van) Company had now for the first time discovered
that it was possible for a carriage with real horses to go up and
down moderate hills with a good road ; and that instead of the
journey from Simla to Kalka involving a three days’ march, it
might very easily be done in one. So startling a discovery had
hardly yet e-xplained itself to the Indian mind, and in fact the
only time the experiment had been tried had, I think, been the
day before the landslip, when the carriage had unfortunately
rolled over the khad with all its inmates.*
However, I had ever}’ intention of repeating the experiment,
so waited patiently till the road was repaired. I confess I had
some qualms as to how my six words of execrable Hindustani
would carry me over so long a journey. However, in India these
matters are made very simple to the verdant traveller. Someone
“ lays your Dak " from Simla to U niballa. Thence the railway
to Seharanpore is of course plain sailing. And there you find
that your friends at Mussourie have again “laid your D&k”
right up to their door. In fact you are merely a bundle of
goods, consigned to a series of intelligent natives, who wll not
fleece you more than they can be sure of doing with impunity.
As no carriage is allowed to enter Simla, this enterprising
company has established itself beside the new road, about a
mile below the town, fully two miles from our house. Thither
I went by agreement, early in the forenoon, preceded by all my
worldly goods. But owing to one delay after another, and con-
fiicting reports as to the condition of the road, it was 4 p.m.
when my gharry started at a tearing canter downhill That of
course was too good to last. The road all along was frightfully
cut up ; and when we got a few miles from Simla the parapets
had all been washed away, and were replaced by piles of small
rocks, which had rolled down from the hills into the road, and
had thus come in useful in building a temporary dyke, the road
itself being just sufficiently cleared to enable us to pass, and
still ver}’ much resembling the bed of a mountain torrent, in
which, indeed, the waters were still flowing.
The owner of the carriage, or gharry, or caravan, had requested
* 1 beliere the atteinpt to ruu carria((es on this road was rery soon giran np,
owing to several slrious acoideiita having occurred.
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me to spend the night at Kyrie Ghat, to avoid the danger of
travelling in the dark. There we were due in a couple of hours.
However, it took us more than that time to get half way. As
we neared the landslip, which it w.as very desirable to pass in
good daylight, we found a whole bullock train, extending over
nearly half a mile, encamped for the night, in double row along
the road, blocking it so effectually that the bullocks had to be
yoked, and lieavy waggons drawn aside, ere the carriage could
pass. Long ere this was accomplished the sun had set ; and we
had still seven miles before us.
The horses at the next stage were such miserable brutes that
they could not move the carriage at all. A whole hour was
wasted in vainly battling with them. One of them fell three
separate times, and then apparently went through all the agonies
of death. It was sickening to witness. At last the vain at-
tempt wiis gi%’en up. The coachman and syce went off leading
the one available horse, and as soon as they were gone the other
staggered to his feet again — poor brute ! There I sat alone in
the dark for a whole hour, as no lantern was to be obtained.
I had made so sure of having no further use for one that I had
left juine in Simla.
At last two great, comfortable-looking white bullocks were
procured, and slowly drew’ the carriage to Kyrie Ghat. It was
midnight when we reached the D4k Bungalow, and found every
room full of sleepers. The old Khansaman brought me out hot
tea in the verandah, for which he utterly refused payment; a
fact which, together with that of a sweeper having refused all
backsheesh when we halted here for so long on our w’ay to Simla,
is worthy to be recorded in letters of gold, being quite without
paralleb I tried to sleep in the gharry for the next three hours,
by which time there was clear moonlight ; then, calculating that
there was no time to spare, we again started, and except when
the horses took to jibbing, which they occasionally did for half
an hour at a time, found no further difficulty.
When daylight broke it was pleasant to see how the brown
hills, which in the early spring had seemed to us so hideous,
now on this first day of October were all covered with greenest
pasture, and softened wdth a light drapery of mist. And in the
little fields grew tall corn of divers sorts — green and gold ;
handsome crops, eight or ten feet in height. Especially lovely
T 2
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27fl FROM THE HEBRIDES
wure the hlood-rod fields of Prince’s Feutlier — I think tlie natives
call it Bdtou , — they eat the youiif' leaves and the grain, which
hangs in great tossing jtlumes of deepest crimson ; each spike
was about seven feet liigh, with scarlet and gold leaves. There
was also a pale pink variety ; and another yellow, with leaves
of rich olive.
The whole fields were sometimes interlaced with large beau-
tiful convolvuli, fully four inches in diameter; some purest
white, others the most vivid blue, pink, or purple ; some white
with blue eilge and pink heart, in fact all varieties; but the
pure bright blue predominated, like great bright stars against
the scarlet grain. And floating amongst these the loveliest
butterflies, or, as the Chinese call them. Flying-leaves ; butter-
flies of every hue — some bke burni.shed gold ; others, metallic
crimson; some of bronze and delicate violet; some of emerald
powdered with golden dust; others, opal or salmon colour; and
some that flashed in the sunlight like gleams of silvery azure —
all of surpassing loveliness, lint I never again saw a pure
scarlet dragon-fly like one which tantalized me near Pangi, and
then fluttered down the rocks far out of reach.
At midday we reached Kalka, which in the spring had seemetl
.so dry and arid, like an ugly bit of Scotland; now it looked
simi>ly lovely, for softest showers had capped the hills with
mist, and the fresh greenness of semi-tropical vegetation was
quite enchanting. It was also pleasant once more to see a pic-
turt'Sfiue bazmir, and a fine old banyan tree twisting itself all round
an old temple. Here, however, I had short time to pause; for the
jolly old half-caste landlady, Mrs. P>ain, not only “ welcomed the
coming” but certainly also “ speeded the parting guest,” for she
would only allow me five minutes to wash and to swallow hot
tea; then started me again, threatening the driver with condign
punishment, bamboo biicksheesh, and all sorts of dreadful things,
if he did not catch the train at Umballa; which he accordingly
did, sbirting as usual at a haid canter down the hill.
It was a veiy striking contrast to find ourselves one half-hour
toiling up and down among the mountains, where since May we
had never seen a quarter of an acre of level ground ; the next
half-hour we were driving over a dead level, apparently .straight
into the sea, but really into the boundle.ss plains. It wsus a
positive relief to the eye; and the elfect of liM)king Itack t«j the
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mountains, with this woiuleifullj' rich green level foreground,
was one of intense repose. Each field seemed more beautiful
than the last; heavy crops of tall rich grain of every sort,
growing to a height of six or eight feet — Indian com, and sugar-
cane, the haunt of all manner of birds ; golden-crested hoopoes,
and bright blue jays, and flocks of tame jiigeona, puri»le, and
green, and white; and then large fields of lucerne and other
sweet succulent grasses, of which diligent gra-ss-cutters were
binding up huge bundles for their niiister’s horses. It was so
chaniiing to be once more among palm trees and sweet yellow-
tufted acacias, and suiTounded by all the picturesque life of the
plains — camels, elephants, ckkas, bullock-carriages, natives in
fair linen and turbans, even to the darling little grey stpiirrels
that scampered about in every direction.
We I'eached Umballa about 10 P.M., just catching the train,
and four hours (in a comfortable railway caniage, built on ptir-
jK)se for the convenience of sleepers on long journeys) brought
me to Seharanporc, where another gharn/ or van was in readi-
ness, We started all fair, and I soon fell asleej), and awoke
towiinls daybreak to a sense of unwonted repose, to find the
ciMchman and si/ce comfortably hubble-bubbling, as they hail
apjMirently been doing for the lust hour. We had reached the
banks of the Goggra, a wide expanse of sand with a river of
moderate size. Thus, however, when full is a very dift'erent
matter, as Lord Clyde found to his cost, when, hoping to have
surprisetl a body of reliels on the bank, he found they had
succeedeil in crossing just a few hours before, carrying every
Isiat to the other side. The river was in flood, and proved an
ellectual barrier to his further progres.s.
To-ilay, however, it was moderate ; and a wliole regiment of
half-naked coolies had assembled to drag the carriage across.
It really was rather alamiing to Iw thus forcibly carried off,
but it was all in the day’s work, and evidently jmrt of tlie
programme.
After this it was all plain sailing till we reached the Siwalik
hills, wliich separate the ])lains frem the beautiful valley of
Debra. The road lies through the Mohan Pa.ss, when a gradual
ascent of six miles brings you to a level two thousand feet above
that which you have just left, lliere can Ire no retuson wliy
horses should not luu here, quite as well ns along the new road
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278
FROM THE HEBRIDES
to Simla; but the Indian mind had not then mastered this
possibility, so every carriage must either be dragged up the
weary six miles by coolies, or else the inmate must be carried in
ajampan, while the luggage is divided among coolies just as on
a march, another carriage being in readiness at the top of the
hill. The latter is by far the more rapid method ; but a stupid
clerk having misunderstood his orders insisted on the carriage
being dragged up the weary road, to the intense disgust of a
whole army of coolies, who gathered round the carriage in
vehement expostulation, and made me plainly understand that
they wanted to carry me and my luggage separately. This
CRns<ttNo Tiir
hubbub had continued for ulioiit a quuiter of an hour when
to my great satisfaction I espied, as I thought, a fair-haired
Englishman sitting under a tree. Thinking he would be able to
interpret the rights of the case I went up to him ; but imagine
my disgust on perceiving that the russet locks which I had mis-
taken for the sure sign of a countrjTnan belonged only to a fair
native, who, like certain dark-haired maidens in our own land,
had dyed his glossy black hair a golden auburn ! His imitation
of western fashions had not imparted any knowledge of the
English language ; so I returned imsuccessfuUy to the malcon-
tents, and grimly bade them obey the Sahib’s hookam, in other
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 279
words, the orders they had received ; never of course imagining
that the clerk could have made so stupid a mistake. AU I
could do was to soften the unpopular decision by a promise
of backsheesh, whereupon a team of fourteen wTetched coolies
yoked themselves to the heavy carriage, and slowly dragged it
up the long ascent. This transaction occupied four hours,
during which I walked on, following the course of a brawling
mountain stream, which rushed down the valley over great rocks
and boulders. Here and there a patch of dense jungle, and
everywhere endless varieties of tall rank grass, each beautiful.
All this time I found myself provided with an honorary
escort, namely, a white-robed moonshee ' who had taken a lift on
the top of the carriage, and who, in return, was continually
bringing me fruit, and insisted on teaching me to chew betel-
nut as the greatest delicacy he had to offer. It was unspeak-
ably nasty, and I was thankful ne.xt day to find that my teeth
were not permanently stained red.
At the head of the Mohan Pass we first caught sight of the
fertile valley of Dehra. The Dehra Doon, a rich plain, with
wealth of tropical vegetation, large clumps of graceful bamboo,
and large-leaved plantains ; rich crops of all sorts, and here
and there picturesque villages. The valley is about sixty
miles long and fourteen wide. On its farther side rise the
Himalayas, where at an elevation of 5,000 feet, lie the
scattered bungalows of Massourie; and 1,000 feet higher is
perched the military Sanatorium of Landour, where soldiers
from Calcutta and elsewhere are sent on sick leave.
In the middle of this plain is the town of Dehra, like a
lovely English village, each house surrounded with rose hedges,
and bowery, billowy greenness. There is scarcely a house that
has not its own group of beautiful bamboos, growing with a
richness such as I have never seen elsewhere. These form a
long avenue as you drive through the town, the general ap-
pearance of which is most attractive. No wonder that many
old Indians never wish to return to Britain, but make their
winter home in this fair semi-tropical spot, and in the warm
summer days merely move their camp to Massourie, whence
they can look down on the blue, ocean-like plains, while the
eternal snows tower above them.
*_ Sc rib* or t*»ch*r.
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280 FROM THE HEBRIDES
Driving rapidly through this pretty town, I caught a glimpse
of several native temjdes half hidden in the rich foliage. One
in particular was so striking that I resolved to halt here on niy
return, on purpose to see it Meanwhile we hurried over the
next six miles, and reached the town of Rajpore at the foot of
the hills so late in the afternoon that the friends who had
come thus far to meet me, had given me up in despair, and I
found them just starting for a long evening’s ramble ; to which
my arrival put a .stop. The part of wisdom would have been
to remain at the hotel, but it was Saturday night, and I pre-
ferred a quiet Sunday at Massourie to spending it on the
march, besides the thought of a cheery welcome to a sunny
home wiis veiy jdeasant ; so the order was given to have coolies
ready at once for my daiulie, and lighter luggage.
It was with some trouble that these were pix)cured, owing to
the immense demand occasioned by the crowds of English
flocking to the Dehra races ; moreover the supply of men at
Massourie is always rather deficient, and doubly so now, owing
to the high wages given at Sacrata, a new hill station in this
district. Of cour.se the number of men required is immen.se, as
not only must every household have its own regiment of human
ponies, but all supplies of every .sjwcies of gootls must be carried
up from the plains on men's shoulders. You can scarcely con-
ceive anything more awkw.ard than to meet a dozen men, or
more, carrying heavy furniture, such, for instance, as a great
piano, up these nairow footpaths.
To a population thus dependent on the multitude of human
workers, any cause that diminishes the supply is a serious
matter. Imagine, then, the effect of a story having, some years
ago, been circulated among the hill tribes that the Europeans
required a vast supply of “ I’ahari oil,” and intended to take
every hill man, woman, or child, whom they could catch, and
hang them up by the heels before a big fire in order to extract
their oil ! This story was so universally believed that aU the
coolies ran away from ilassourie, and were only persuaded by
slow degrees to return ; and for months they continued to work
tremblingly, still believing in danger. Indeed it was some
years before they were altogether satisfied about the matter.
To-night there was considerable difficulty in procuring even
six men to carry my dandle, bedding, and bag, and we found
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out, too late, that they had only been bribed to go at all by
receipt of doidile jjay in ailvance, and the promise of hack-
.thietih at their journey’s end. How we came to start without a
lantern 1 cannot imagine. Generally the natives are in such
terror of leopards that they will not stir from one house to the
next without either torch or lantern. To-night, however, we
started on this twelve miles’ march without one. Our path was
a narrow zigzag, cut in the face of the hill, and nmning up
pretty steejdy. Very soon the sun set, and thick darkness with
heavy mist lolled down upon us. The thick foliage of the
oaks which overshadowed the path added so much to the
obscurity of the night that we could scarcely distinguish any-
thing.
Thus wo plotldcd on for the first four miles, when with a
sudden bumj) I found myself sitting on the ground, on the very
verge of the khad, over which my leader had walked, vanishing
in the darkness. The others raised a shout of “ killed, killed ! ”
which was truly horrible to hear. Happily the poor follow had
stuck half way, and before long managed to scramble up again,
having mercifully escaped with some bad cuts and bruises.
Had we been a few steps farther, he would have had a frightful
fall What possessed the other wretches 1 cannot imagine, but
they maintained that another man had fallen over, and as
several other coolies had by this time overtaken us, we could
not possibly distinguish whether one of ours was missing. Wo
vainly shouted down the khad, but there came no answer — and
they all declared the man must be dead. There was nothing
for it but to desjiatcdi one of them to the nearest village, about
a mile farther, for ropes ami lanterns. 1 need scarcely say he
never returned.
After some delay another traveller came down the hill, and
by the light of his lantern we had the pleasure of just distin-
guishing all our rascals taking to their heels, leaving us alone
WMth the wounded man, who proved a verj' good fellow. As
soon as he had recovered sufticieutly to walk, we pushed on to
the village, leaving the dandie at a corner of the road. Here
wo found the two baggage coolies cpiietly waiting with their
bundles to see what would happen next. They declared the
others had tied for fear of being beaten for letting me fall ! A
dread which, 1 must say, was by no means justified, as these
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
men are generally treated with great kindness by the English.
In the present instance, the three who remained were treated to
an extra supper by way of encouragement, immediately after
which one of tliem bolted. But the poor wounded man shouldered
the bundle of the runaway, and marched cheerily on.
We had still six miles to walk, and, as you know, two miles
is generally my utmost limit. However there was nothing
for it but a grim determination ns usual to set a stout heart to
the stey brae. It was now pitch dark, and although we had
succeeded in borrowing a lantern from the merchant, not a bit
of candle could be obtained. Luckily, oh joy ! I recollected
a small piece in the depths of my bag ; a treasure which was
forthwith fished out. Then we started cheerily. By this time
the rain was pouring in a perfect deluge, literally like a
watcrsjxmt. and rushing down the path, till it felt as if we
were walking in a river against the current. A violent gust
blew out the feeble lamp, leaving us in total darkness, feel-
ing our way with one hand along the side of the khad. At last
we espied a hut, where we again got a light, and so struggled
on till we reached Massourie, and found ourselves on the
Mall, an excellent broad road. We had still a long, and very
steep ascent before we reached tlie top of Vincent’s Hill, where
we arrived at midnight to receive such a welcome as made
amends for all the dangers and perils of the night ; only one
sad memorial of that midnight expedition still haunts me, in
the shape of a beloved old manuscript music book, whose
blurred and blotted pages show too plainly how grievously its
constitution suffered on that occasion ’
Sunday, as you may imagine, was a genuine day of rest. We
could see the pretty church in the heart of Massourie, but the
thought of the long descent and the weary climb up again
was quite too much. It was enough for to-day that sky,
plain.s, and snows were all steeped in rest and in sunshine, and
that every voice of nature seemed to blend in one joyous hymn
of praise. From the house itself we looked right down, past
wooded hills to the Dehra Boon, six thousand feet below.
Beyond, as on a map, lay the low range of the Siwalik hills,
intersecting the picture, and beyond that again, two thousand
feet below, stretched the plains — a wide expanse of blue,
vanishing in a boundless horizon in soft atmospheric blending
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 283
of earth and sky. Here and there fine threads of glittering
silver marked the course of divers rivers. On the one hand
the Jumna, on the other the Ganges, and far in the distance
a little straight line, like a scratch of a pin, represented the
great Ganges canal.
All round us were grassy hills, studded with grey rocks and
Indian oak, of which not the mossy stem alone, but literally
every branch was covered with rare ferns of every species.
And every bank was literally carpeted with wild flowers
in richest luxuriance. Alx)ve all, every here and there you
came on a perfect jungle of brilliant dahlias, possibly once
tame, as I do not hear of tliera elsewhere in these hills ; and
so it has been suggested that they must have been brought here
by the first settlers. In any case they are wild enough now,
and grow in patches of half an acre together, in such dense
luxuriance that you can hardly distinguish one green leaf.
They are, for the most pjirt, single and very large, and of ever}'
brilliant colour that you can possibly imagine, white, yellow,
orange, scarlet, lilac, purple, deepe.st maroon — literally one
dazzling blaze of colour.. To lie on a grassy bank, looking up
past such a sea of colour as this, to the grey rocks and intense
blue of the sky, is a sensation of bliss rarely equalled.
In the afternoon we crept up to a hillock just above the
house, where the grey rocks were fringed with scarlet Virginia
creeper and other graceful plants. We still looked down on
the boundless earth-ocean below us, and across the scattered
town of Massourie, which is the abode of civilian.?, to Landour,
the military station ; far beyond which — faint and spiritual —
gleamed the mighty fields of everlasting snow ; not a meie line,
as at Simla, but apparently twice as high ; for Gangoutri, where
the Ganges finds its source, is nearer to Massourie than are any
snow-peaks to Simla.
There, far away in the distance, beyond the intervening abyss
of deep, blue shadow, lay piled the mighty mountain ridges,
rising tier above tier ; their shapeless summits lost in soft fleecy
clouds, from which, as phantoms in a dream, rose a long line
of snowy peaks, stretching right across the horizon ; each form
distinct in its own beauty, yet all so soft and shadowy that they
almost blended with the sea of billowy, grey clouds, above
which they seemed to float.
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284 FROM THE HEBRIDES
The rosy evening liglit jiist flushed the summits with a
delicate pink, marking deep clefts and crevices witli a touch of
lilac, anil melting away into that tender ethereal green, paler
timn a thrush’s egg, which we know so well in our northern
skies. Not a sound broke the intense stillness save the occa-
sional cry of a great brown eagle, soaring in the valley far below,
where the deep, calm shadows of night had already hushed the
noisy whirr of insect life.
Never elsewhere have I e.xperienced the same sensation of
vastness as when in presence of these two boundless semicircles.
One half of that wide Jiorizon was marked only by the faint, hot
haze that told of the burning heat of those pliuns, which seemed
to stretch away into immeasurable space. And then, you had
but to turn your head to liehold ridge beyond ridge of huge
mountains, heaped together in endless confusion : while from
right to left of that horizon the snow-peaks glimmered and
melted away into the light.
I si>ent a very happy month at Massourie, or rather, I should
say, a fortnight there, and a fortnight on Vincent’s Hill, which is
incomparably the liner situation, being very much higher, and
commanding a more extensive view, including the whole of
JIassourie and Liindour, both of which come in as a foreground
to the snowy range.
The finest josition in Massourie is occupied V>y a great Roman
Catholic convent, the sisters of which undertake the education
of a very large projtortion of the Protestant girls in the station.
The convent is perched on the brow of a hill, whence the view
on every side is magnificent ; in fact, no view' to l>e compared
with it is obtainable without a weary scramble to the top of
Vincent’s Hill. The bungalow in which we were living is
situated at the farther end of this hill, and ju.st above it, at a
considendde distance from the convent, lies the little lonely
burial-ground where sleeji such of the sisters as have died in this
far-aw'ay land — a peaceful and calm resting-place, with the great
solemn hills outsjiread on eveiy side. To me there was a chanu
in this quiet nook, associated as it was with the thought of the
meek lives that had here sjient themselves in patient well-doing.
And often at sunset and at dawn 1 found myself tracing the
little woodland path that led from our domicile up to the nuns’
graves, till I hud acquired almost a romantic interest in the
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8i.storlioo<l, and a .sincere desire to cultivate tlieir acquaintance.
Jiul^'e of the sudden collapse of these kindly feelin<;s, when, one
evening, as I was returning alone by the brow of the hill from a
distant sketching expetlition, and laden with a heavy sketching
block and other paraphernalia, lo ! I encountered a grave and
sUent hand of solemn sisters, the foremost of whom accosted me
with the utmost acerbity, and informed me that the whole hill
and all the walks on it were the private property of the convent,
and that I wfis a trespa.sser ! Imagine being p\u*sued by such a
word even in the Hinudayas ! Whether they had legal right on
their side I know not. They certainly had miglit, in point of
numl)crs, whereas T was alone and heavily laden, so that there
was no ii.se in disputing the question, or in attempting to point
out to these irascible and illogieal women that the path whereon
we stood would in a very few minutes lead me straight home.
I could not well get past them, as they might have given me
a rapid impetus down the khad, so there was nothing for it but
to return half a mile or more and descend to the high road,
whence all view of the snows was effectually shut out by the
veiy hill whereon those sour and selfish old maids were taking
their eventide constitutional. I need scarcely say that such rare
lack of courte.sy dispelled at once, and for ever, all romantic
illusions concerning the meek and holy sisters, and that my
future visits to the hill-top were so judiciously timed as to avoid
further acquaintance with them, though I am bound to add that
I heanl them highly spokeji of by sundry Protestant mothers
who had entrusted their daughters to their charge.
The weather became daily more and more cloudless, and we
did pity the victims of that arbitrary law, which compels all
working bees to return to the plains before the 15th of October.
Then all the hill stations seem to enqffy, as if by magic, within
a couple of days. It certainly is a strange regulation, as the
lulls are just then at their most perfect phase, while the plains
are still simmering in sultry heat, and many a half-recovenul
invalid finds out too quickly that he has only returned to this
purgatory to lose all that he had gained.
It is said that MassoJirie and Landour are very much healthier
than the military stations round Simla, where cholera, dysentery,
and fever h.ive a full share of victims. Here, as in all the hill
stations, the gay season begins in A[>ril, when the rhodotlen-
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
drons are in their glory, and continues till the end of September,
in one unceasing round of picnics, archery parties, and every
variety of evening gaiety, which, as a general rule, have the
superlative advantage of early hours. All October and Novem-
ber the climate is simply heavenly, and the sky cloudless.
Then in December conies the snow, when the residents flee
down the hill to Dehra, where it has very rarely been known to
follow them.
Unlike the houses at Simla, all those here are built like the
bungalows of the plains, only one storey high, with pillared
verandah of white plaster on stonework. But all alike are
perched on artificially levelled sites. It is the fashion of many
people to decry Ma.ssoiirie, as l>eing ugly compared with
Simla. I cannot say I thought so. Moreover, a sweeping as-
sertion declares that there are no trees here. Here again I can
only imiigine that they use the word to denote cedars only ; just
as we in Scotland understand salmon by the term fish. For
though in bygone years all deodars were ruthlessly cut down, as
a ridiculous sanitary measure, there still remain rich masses of
rhododendron and Indian oak, where troops of brown monkeys
and grey langours disport themselves right merrily ; while the
esj)ecial peculiarity of Massourie is the number of its small
weeping willows. Now, all timber is so strictly preserved that
it is a matter of difficulty to get sufficient firewoo<l ; and all wood
for other purposes is absurdly expensive.
The hill people hereabouts are in some respects different from
those among whom we had Iwen wandering hitherto. They are
said to be pure Hindus, though here also all religious feeling
seems vague and undefined. Every household has its special
god or devta, to which one corner of the house is assigned.
Sometimes you may meet wild-looking men almost naked, daubed
all over with yellow powder, made from the blossom of the pine
tree. These are generally returning from a curious religious
dance, when a whole village goes mad for several days ; men and
women supposing themselves to be possessed by evil spirits, or
at least pretending to be so, and going through all sorts of antics,
as if they were bears, monkeys, leopards, or other varieties of
wild beasts.
They have one great festival at midsummer, when the milk of
throe whole days is collected and consecrated to the use of the
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287
temple. On the feast day each family brings its offering. The
head man of the village dips a bunch of flowers into each lota
f ull of milk, and therewith sprinkles the image (the diwta) which
has been brought out gaudily dressed. All the milk is then
emptied into one vessel and everyone is invited to drink. The
village street is strewn with flowers, and men and women are
both adorned in their gayest raiment, wearing ^bunches of
flowers.
When a Pahari dies, in this district of Garwhal, his relations
shave the head and beard, and make much lamentation for ten
or twelve days, during which they must abstain from all pleasant
food, such as meat or ghte. They must also refrain from hunt-
ing. At the end of their time of mourning they offer a sacrifice
to the spirit of the departed, and go their way. Should he,
however, have died from any epidemic, such as cholera or small-
po.v, no public mourning is allowed. In the districts where wood
is too expensive to be wasted on funeral pyres, it is customary
simply to expose the dead on a hill-top, where the fowls of the
air quickly dispose of him.
Hindus though they be, there seems to he no prejudice among
these people against the re-marriage of widows, and should such
an one remove the great nose-ring worn by all wives it is a sign
that she purposes seeking a second mate. Should she have no
son, her re-marriage is compulsoi^, as by the laws of Garwhal
the property of a man dying without male issue reverts to the
rajah ; and the term “ property ” includes all female appendages.
So the widow and unmarried daughters are forthwith provided
with husbands, and the dower paid for them goes to the pocket
of the rajah.
The people complain in vain of this arrangement. It is said
that practically the position of the very poor is abject slavery,
as, owing to the amazing extent to which usury is carried, a
very small debt once contracted rapidly accumulates such fright-
ful interest as to become a hopeless clog on the debtor, and
in many cases he himself and his family are actually sold
in paj'ment of it. Children are sometimes sold to pay their
parents’ debts. Thus whether slavery is, or is not, nominally
allowed, it is so virtually, and the wretched debtors have a life-
long period of hard labour for their owners, though the value of
their labour soon covers the amount of the original debt. The
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
owner also pockets wliatever dowers are paid for any members
of the family whom he may see fit to dispose of.
Mr. Wilson, whose name is celebrated in India as that of a keen
and successful spoitsman, tells of one instance that came under
his notice, in which a man, having broken the leg of a goat, had
to bon'osv two rupees to pay the fine. This debt was allowed to
stand over, accumulating interest till it amounted to twelve
rupees, when he was seized and sold as a slave, his family and
all their work being included in the bargain. Tlie owner had
actually sold one of the daughters for sixty nipees, and a quarrel
about the sale of the .second brought the case before Mr. Wilson’s
notice. If only these wetched creatures can succeed in
running away, and can settle on liritish territory, they are of
course fi-ee, but every jiossible difficulty is thrown in their way.
Ilesides, the love of home amounts, in these men, to a passion,
though indeed it is often anything but a “ sweet ” liome.
Amongst all my Himalayan memories none return more
pleasantly than the recollection of the early mornings at Mas-
sourie, looking down upon a sea of mist, bathed in mellow,
rose-coloured light. Then as it .slowly rose a chain of islands
would here and there appear, as if floating upon those white
billows. These were the peaks of the low Siwalik range ; none
of them more than three thousand feet in height. Yet the deep
gloomy ravines of those pine-clad hills have an interest lacking
to many a higher range; for in their dark, mysterious solitudes
have been discov(^n;d such strange and wonderful fossils as
have filled geologists with delight ; fossils of camels, far larger
than any now extant ; fossils of tortoises, crocodiles, giraffes,
elephants, and hippopotami. Similar discoveries have been
made in the Dehra Doon, and all these remains are on a colossal
scale.
P'or instance, there is the gigantic land tortoise, with shell six
inches thick, which measures eight feet across the back, and is
upwards of twelve feet in length, while with head and tail
protruded he must have been fully eighteen feet from tip to
tip, and stood about six feet high. He is called the atlas tortoise,
as if to suggest the Hindu legend which tells of that tortoi.se
on the head of which rests the earth. It is supposed that this
great creature must have existed until comparatively recent
ages, that is to say, till long after the creation of man, as various
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old Greek travellei-s have recorded how both in Ceylon, on the
shores of the Red Sea, and of the Persian Gulf tortoi.ses and
turtles existed so enormous that huts and boats were roofed
with a single shell. Possibly, however, they referred to the
same species wliich Emerson Tenncnt saw near the Gulf of
Manaar, some of which were from four to five feet in leimth.
He mentions having seen a man sitting under the shade of a
turtle shell which he had stuck up on four sticks to act us a
canopy.
Besides the huge elephants there are found remains of the
sivathere, a heavy, ungainly beast, the size of a rhinoceros,
adorned with two pair of horns of difl'erent form — one pair on
the forehead like those of an ox ; and behind these another
large massive pair, palmated and branching like tho.se of a
fallow deer, but on a gigantic scale. All those revelled in vast
forests of teak and dense bamboo jungle.
Of those great forests small trace now remains, tliough in
the early part of this century the Boon w’as covered with fine
timber. This was for the most part ruthlessly destroyed in
those old days when there was no care for forestry. Kow a’li
is under most careful supervision of the Forest Department,
but as regards the past this is unhappily suggestive of locking
the door when the steed is stolen. There still, however, remain
great tracts of dense jungle, and it is the mass of decaying
vegetable matter from the.se after the rains which {troduces
malaria, and gives this district so unhealthy a character in
autumn. This also makes these jungles so dangerous a camping
ground. Where, however, the country has been cleared, and
fertile cornland has replaced tlie wilderno.ss, the whole character
of the valley has changed, so that beautiful Debra Doon may
now claim to have her old ill fame forgotten as a dream of
the past.
She still, however, keejis some quiet corners, where an occasional
wild elephant or bear may Vie found in s[)ite of multitudinous
sportsmen. I/?opards, deer, and pigs there find a haven, while
8nij>e and florikan, quail and black partridge, ])hcasants and pea-
fowl still abound. In the rivers are fish enough and to spare.
Great mahseer that would mock our finest salmon, fish that
think nothing of weighing twelve or sixteen pounds, inasmuch
as some have Iteen captured weighing a liuudrcd pounds, and
vni,. II. U
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290 FROM THE HEBRIDES, ETC.
one was recently caught at Mapoorie with ro<l and fly that
weighed lOoi pounds. Xot bad sport!
October slipped by all too quickly. Its most marked memories
are of e.xhilaniting, bracing air, decidedly chilly in the mornings
and evenings — of pink sunrises on the boundless plains — pink
sunsets on the eternal snows, with foreground of dark Indian
oak ; and steepest banks, clothed with a waving sea of gorgeous
dahlias only relieved here and there by patches of grey rrjck
wliich cariy the eye upward till it loses itself in the vivid blue
of heaven.
The very ground near these dahlia beds is rainbow-hued,
being strewn with fallen petals. And every jamjHinee you
meet, can’ying his mistress out for her airing, is sure to be
atlorned with some of these bright blossoms.
Many of these are fine merry lads, and they earned us
cheerily up steep hills, or down the deepest valleys to see water-
falls, and e.xplore damj) ravines, where on dewy banks or in
dark crevices the rarest and daintiest ferns grow in wild luxuri-
ance, their light feathery fronds weaving a delicate tracery over
the black rocks. Here in the cool shade we would sometimes
hide during the heat of the deep mid-noon, where only a soft,
sulxlued light came trembling through green leaves, just re-
vealing the wonderfid intricacy of all that fragile, fairy foliage,
such mellow light as calms the spirit like the dim twilight of
some old cathedral. Then when the shades of evening once
more called us up from this underworld, it was perhaps to see
the grey mist drawn aside revealing a far-away range of niby
and opal, while the world at our feet was one carpet of rarest
emerald.
So you see nature has done her work gloriously, and many
pleasant human beings did all that in them lay to make
Miissourie still more delightful. And so it remains stored up
amongst memory’s pleasante.st pictures.
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FROM MASSOt’RIE TO HARDWAR
While rapidly driving through Dehni on my way to Massourie
I had cauglit glimpses of divers temples appearing through the
rich foliage. There was one in particular which I felt con-
vinced would reward a closer inspection. ISiit as usual when I
came to inquire alxmt it, not one of the English inhabitants had
ever noticed it, or indeed knew of the existence of any native
building of the smallest iutere.st, though the majority had just
returned from spending the race week in the little town itself
I was further assured that there was no hotel there where I
co\dd put up with any sort of comfort.
Nevertheless I was fully re.solved to halt and have a look at
the place. I there found quarters more comfortable and home-
like than I luid met with in alt my experience of Indian hotels,
a hou.se kept by a kindly family who took everj* possible pains
to make my stay pleasant. Under their guidance I explored
every nook of the pretty town. We went in and out of temples,
on to roofs, into gardens, along baralioo avenues, and in fact saw
all there was to see.
The large building that had first attracted my attention was
the centre of interest It proved to be a remarkably fine Sikh
tomb, in fact it was that of the gmndson of Xanak, the founder
of the .sect This was the only si>ecimen of their handiwork I
ever had a chance of seeing, so it would have been annoying
indeed to have {Missed it by. Its architecture is much the same
as that of the great Mohammedan tombs at Delhi and Agra,
and the building is on the same colossal scale. There is the
same cluster of domes crowning the central building; the
same tall minarets at the four corners of the great jdatform
on which the whole is raised. The Sikhs, as you {)robahly
V 2
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know, are a sect of Hindus with very peculiar religious tenets.
The most apparent are that they allow no idols ; and that
they totally eschew tobacco in all forms, but allow a free use
of spirits. They also eat all manner of meats : jx>rk, fowls, and
eggs, thus making themselves unclean iti the sight both of
^luliammedans and Hindus ; fowls lieing as vile in the eyes of
the latter us pork in those of the Mussulman. Also the mark of
discipleship is that every member is branded on the shoulder,
and having thus been touched with fire during life, they con-
sider that it is unnecessary to luirn the body after death. Hence
the Sikhs are the only Hindus who bury their dead, and who
take plesisure in erecting tombs to their memory.
The word Sikh means literally disciple,' and though now
applied as a national distinction to the people of the Upper
Punjaub, it was originally merely the name of a religious sect
founded in the fifteenth century by a high caste Hindu, by
name Xanak. So rapidly did the new faith .spread that when
Xauak died in A.D. 10o9, his disciples already numbered oue
hundred thousand ; a race bounil together in a nn'stic coinmtin-
wealth by the intensity of religious fervour and warlike tem-
perament.
The object f>f the founder was to break down all Iwiriers of
caste, and to combine the best jtoints in the faith of llimlus
and Mohammedans, that Istth might accept a common cree*i.
Establishing himself as gnni or spiritual teacher, he founded
a theocratic government, and emlxxlied his teaching in a sacred
book called the AiUtjranth, which to the pre.sent day lies 0[>en
before his succe.s.sor, the great guru, in the far-famed golden
temple of Amritsar.
Amritsar, "the Fount of Immortality,” is so called because of
the exceeding holiness of the gnmt tank, in the centre of which
stiinds this Iwautiful golden temjde. Here the guru, who is a
veneralde old man, still holds sway and receives the homage of
his martial devotees, and their offerings of flowers anil jewels,
though his chief oHice seems to be the constant study of the
* I’omiption of the. Saustcrit wont S'Mi/a. Their two principal scots are the
t'HiUiji, who profess a oomplctc indilforoncc to worUlIy conoorns, and the Akdiu,
extravagant fanatics. Ilic ndi^ons views of the Sikh scots still in p.art remain
a matter for conjecture, hut the .second volume of their scriptures undoubteilly
teaches the worship of one G-xi, to eschew superstition, to practise strict morality,
and to lice by the Siconl. — Kn.
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sacred vohiiiie. He i.s surrounded by a body<>nard of Akdlu,
who represent the concentrated essence of the Sikl» faitli. They
call themselves the soldiers of God, and are distingui.shed by
their invariable blue dress, bracelets of steel, and conical turbans,
liound the waist they wear circles of sharp steel, which act,
when so reipiired, as very dangerous wciipons, being thrown at
a foe with unerring aim. These Akdlis are a turladent lot, and
give no small trouble to the good old man, whom they nominally
reverence as their sjiiritual superior.
The sect was at first essentially peaceable in its tenets. This
state of things, however, could not be of long continuance, inas-
much as the hand of every man was against them — Hindu and
Mussulman being alike furiously opposed to a sect which had
ventured to make its own selections from its neighbottrs’ creeds.
Thus the Sikhs were forced into a position of per|>elud self-
defence, which in the very nature of things soon became
aggressive. Ihit it was not till the acce.ssion of the great guru
Govind that the strong sjiirit of ambition was infused into
their ranks and their military character developed. In addition
to common tenets of faith, he insisted on tiniformity in e.\ternal
niatter.s. Hair and beanl were to be unshaven ; dress blue,
and the use of arms habitual, lie gathered his recruits from
every caste and every tribe, admitting them to a perfect ecpiality
of rank ; and, assuming for himself and them the title of Singh
(lion), managed to infuse a wondrous spirit of unanimity, which,
strange to say, has so manifested itself in outward life that from
this multitude of luLxed races has .sprung the finest people in
India, with strongly marked physical characteristic.s, tall, well-
built, lithe and agile in action, generally dark in colour, and
unmistakably warriors.
Their first struggles to establish their power were a series of
desperate and b.ojieless enterprises, but at length, crossing the
Sutlej, they forced their way to the very gates of Delhi. Ile-
pulsed by the son of Aurungzebe, they were driven back to their
hills, whence, returning to the chaige in 1716, they were again
defeated, and the sect of Sikhs so mercilessly ixTsecuted that
for the ne.xt thirty years no more was heard of them.
Nevertheless there were certain attractive points in their
creed which brought them many proselytes. For instance, one
rule prescribes the maintenance of the poor members by the
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richer; uud tlie latter find compensation in being allowed the
free use of wine and all strong spirits — a fact which came so
jirominently forward at the time of our treaties with Inhere, that
Sir John Malcolm said, “ It was rare to see a Sikh soldier quite
sober after sunset,” and the most urgent political business had
to wait day after day in consequence of the state of helpless
intoxication of every individual concerned.
This does not seem to have lessened the warlike tendency of
this fiery and turbulent sect, which next came into notice under
the chieftainship of liunjeet Singh, who, having established his
own supremacy in the Upper runjaub, and accepting the course
of the Sutlej as his boundary from British States, made treaties
with England under U)rd Auckland whereby his kingdom was
recognized as an indei)endeiit State ; on a footing of equality
with the older powers of India. By this treaty England
secured a faithful ally, and a secure boundary up to 1839, when
the Old Lion of Lahore died. It is dillicult to picture the
mighty old chief — the warrior whose influence kept all these
aggressive spirits in check — as “ a little, tottering, one-eyed old
man,” which is the description given of him at the time of his
treaty with Lord Auckland.
After his death a desperate conflict for his throne arose
among his near kinsfolk, who contrived by all the onlinarv
thiental metliiHls to secure a marvellous rapidity of succession :
methods which history sums u]i as a bloody saturnalia ; thirty-
six nicmljcrs of the rf)yal family having disappeared in seven
years !
This cheerful juocess continued till the chief survivor of
Bunjeet Singh’s dyna.sty was a child, the Maharajah Duleep
Singh, son of a dancing girl, who now a.ssumed the title of
Bailee, and the reins of government The vast bod}' of soldiery,
however, having by lhi.s time realized their own ]>ower, utterly
set at nought such feeble rulei-s, and, acknowledging no law but
their own reckless will, determined on the conquest of Hin-
dustan, and the overthrow of the Briti.sh sway.
Then followed those battles which are still mutters of con-
temporary history; the result of which was, that to Goulab
Singh, who had continued faithful to Bunjeet’s ]iolicy, was
awarded the lair vale of Kashmere, and those precious teak
fiirests whence Britain now has to purchase timber at a tremcn-
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i95
dous cost — while the Mahiirajnh r>uk*ep .Singh has been relieved
of the care of his fiery subjects, uml finds a more secure and
])eiiceful home among the heathery braes of Scotland, where his
l»ractice of eiistern falconry proves grievous to the terrified
grouse — a home, moreover, l>eyoud the reach of dangers from the
fanatical rage which his adoj)tion of the Christian faith must
certainly have excited.
The Kookas, who.se name has latterly become so familiar to
lisas being a dangerous ingredient in the undercurrent of Indian
discontent, are a sect of Sikhs, foundeil alsmt twenty-five years
ago, near Attock, by Baluk Kam, who became their High Priest.
His object was to restore the Sikh religion to its original purity;
and also to organize a .secret political body, ready at any moment
to do his bidding. This sect now numbers fifty thousand men —
a brotherhood bound together by the most solemn oaths never
to flinch from any work appointed them, and ready to obey
unhesitatingly the commands of their superiors.
This is a long digression from the old ijikh tomb at Dehra ;
but I confess that the fact of this sectarian meaning of the
wonl was to me altogether a new idea ; and the notion of a
buried Hindu, and one moreover who had forsworn the joys of
huhhle-bubble, in exchange for the pleasures of stiong drink,
threw altogether a new light on the manners and customs of
the race. I spent several days here, drawing, and envj'ing my
sister and her huslanid who had gone oil' to Amritsar to have a
look at the great guru in his Golden Temple, travelling, how-
ever, at a pace too rajiid for my taste.
Near the tomb, which is guanleil by many devout men, there
is a laige tank, where from morning till evening the jKJojile
come to bathe. As usual, men ami women are all together.
Nevertheless they accomplish their bath with the modesty of
perfect unconsciousness. They bring all their vessels to scour,
and their clothes to wash, ilore especially they brush their
teeth, with their wooden tooth-brushes, till you would imagine
there could be no enamel left. Then they pray, and taking
water in their hands hold it up towanls the sun ; then pour it
out as an oblation. After this, they fill their bra.ss vessels with
the same water, which, although constantly running, is by this
time modeiately dirty, and go their way.
r>uriiig the summer months Dehra is the spot where the
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\'iceroy’s bcKlyguai-d make their home. There is also a Ghoorka
regiment always stationed here. The.se little Ghoorkas are about
the finest native battalion in the HritLsh service, not by reason
of their size, for it is the old story of “ great grK)ds in little
bundles,” but as possessing all manner of soldierly virtues;
wonderful honesty, power of endurance, and a talent for making
the best of things, that would do credit to Mark Tajjley
liim.self.
Tlieir skill in handling the kookcrce, or heavy curved sword, is
something marvellous. It is said that when the Ghoorkas have
resolved to slay a tiger, a i)arty of fifteen or twenty surround
his lair, and gradually close round till he is hemmed in,
then dropping on one knee they await his spring, while the
tiger, la.shing himself into a fury, glares firet at one and then
at another, doubting where to force his escape. Then when
in the act of making his spring, the nearest man will, at a blow,
cleave his skull, a feat so marvellous tliat but for the jwsitive
declamtion of credible eye-witnesses it would seem altogether
impossible. A less dangerous exhibition of their skill is given
at one of their I'estivals, when, to the horror of the Hindus,
they sacrifice an ox. Tlie animal is made to kneel, ami the little
Ghoorka kneels beside him. Then, at a single blow, he strikes
the ox behind the hump on the shoulder and cleaves the whole
laid}' in tsvo parts.
One of tlie points of intei’est near Dehra is a certain dripping
rock overhanging a sheltered pool, liiddeu among richly wooded
liilLs. The water, filtering through the rock in a continuous
sliower, has formed an incrustation of glittering stalactitas, and
this dripping cave in the deep wooded dell is altogether a very
j>retty and fairy-like retreat. Of course it is a favourite reudez-
vou,s for the Dehm world.
Itut the chief attraction after all is the extreme fertility of
this rich valley. The luxuriance of all manner of crojw, the
large Government tea-gardens, or rather tea-plantations, the
wealth of tlowere, niora e.specially of one beautiful plant, the7i’osa
hibi.trm mu(abilu<, wliich in the early morning is loaded with
l>ure white blos.soms, like large rose.s, and when you look agiiin at
m>on your roses have changed from wliite to deei)cst crimson.
These grew in l)eautiful clnstei's round tlie little church in the
middle ol'the village.
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Ixjvelier than all else were the rich masses ol' tall haiulxM),
which line the central street, and stretch away in a heantiful
avenue, fully a mile in len^nh, the great plumes intertwining
ilieir feathery arms in one long continuous arch, far overhead.
It was especially charming to ride along this pleasant shady
grove on the gentlest of elephants, which tlie kindness of a
friend had placed at my disposal — a nice, easy way of seeing the
country from an ailvantageous height. So we could overlook
fields and streams, and count the great hamlxio clumps dotted
all over tlie valley.
It would be imiM»8sible to imagine foliage more graceful than
the.se great i.solated clumps of liamboo, which, after all, are only
magnificent, colossal gra-sses. They grow in clusters like gigantic
l)lumes of ostrich feathers. Eacli reed may average four or five
indies in diameter at the base, and rises to a lieight of forty or
fifty feet, witli joints two or three feet apart, fringed with long,
slender leaves. The tapering canes bow their elegant, feathery
heads in graceful curves and bend at every breath of wind,
while the vividly green leaves quiver tremulously and in-
ce.ssantly.
Sometimes these Iwautiful reeils have lieen taught to whisjier
low, musical responses to the wooing of the breeze. The
Malays call them the cane of melody, and at their bidding the
mysterious forest voices hleml in wild cadences like some
strange zEolian haqi. These people have a custom of boring
holes in each joint of these hollow pij>es, the holes lieing of
divers dimensions, larger or smaller according to the girth of the
banilMX), so that as the wind sighs through them it pnsluces
various notes, more or less rich and full in tone — sometimes .soft
and flutelike — sometimes mehxlious as the full swell of an organ
— .sometimes M histling shrill and piercing lus the cry of some
tortured sjiirit. .So the winds and the gnus.ses have their own
rare music in the deep shade of these tropical forests.
In beautiful contrast with this feathery foliage rise the broad,
shining leaves of the giant plantain, each leaf eight or ten feet
long, crowning a low stem, whence hang simultaneously the
great crimson lilossoms and the clusters of ripe creamy fniit,
one such cluster aHbixling a satisfying meal for several jiersons.
It is a noble jilant, and the young fresh leaf when first e.xpanded
is the loveliest, greenest, and snuKithest thing you can imagine,
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though too s>joD crackoil and split into a thousand shreds by the
combined aetiou of sun and wind.
If you care to build up an inuiginary bamboo from the British
wec-d, you may get a fair iilea of it.s piattem frmu the common
fqiiixffum, which alotinds in nn>st of our woods. But of the
loveliness of the reality nothing save sight can convey a notion.
To the Hindu of the plains it is as precioics as is the cocoanut to
his brethren on the seaeuist. Tlie young sprouts, which must
be diligently pruned s«j as to strengthen the niiun shoots, are
either eaten as a vegetable, like a<{>aragus, or else boiled with
sugar and made into sweetmeats, or with vinegar to make
jiickle.s. Sometimes they are cut up small and mi.xetl with
honey; a bit of hollow bamlnx) is tilled with this mixture, and
then coate<l with clay, and roaste<l over a wood fire till the
clay sj)lit.-j, and a very excellent sort of sweetmeat is ready for
food. In China the sc*eds of the bamboo are a common article of
consumption.
Tlie liamboo supidies physic too. A decoction ol its leaves is
considered a vert' gornl cough-mixture. Its outer rind acts ns a
febrifuge. The root is an ingredient of a valuable salve, while
a cooling drink is made from the young buds. It sotinds like
seething the kid in its mother’s milk, but you may, if you choose,
boil these buds in water procured from the large hollow stems,
many of which contain a considerable amount of fluid, ■which is
considereil a most wholesome and pleasant Iteverage. This juice
as well as the outer rind contain a large (quantity of silica, which
is obtained by burning the woo<l, and is believed to have wonder-
ful jK)wers of heiding. The IkiuiIxmj is, however, too i)recious to
be often burnt. Every conceivable thing is manufactureil from
it, from the light fi.shing-nKl to the mast of the ves.sel, indeed the
ve.ssel itself, hull, sails, and ropes, are made from banilx)0 in some
form. Houses are built of it, rafters and floors, and mats and
blinds, lx)ws and lx)W-strings, arrow-shafts, reed-iiens, lja.skets
an<l jK)le.s, flutes and fifes, water-wheels and buckets, water-jjipes
of any required length (miles j)erhaps, made by jilacing them end
to end), are a very small proportion of the countless u.ses of this
precious grass. As an instrument of juinishment its use is
commoidy well known, “bamboo backsheesh ’’ being among the
endearing woids of promi.se most frequently addres.sed by the
Briton to his followers for their special encouiugement. The
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('l)iiiese find still iiiore vnrieil treasures in the hainboo-inine, not
the least of which is a soft white paper, with which they cover
the hanihoo skeletons of their unbrellas.
When I was alK)ut to leave Dehni, iny lamllonl most wisely
siif^ested that sui*ely it was foolish to have come within thirty
miles of llardwar, the holiest of all Hindu cities, and one which
even liears away the palm of sanctity from Ilenares, and yet not
to see it. Therein I fully agreed, but could not see any satisfac-
tory way to aceompli.sh it, as llanlwar is a purely native city,
without one resident Englishman, and not possessing even a
Diik llungalow where a tentless traveller could lodge. That
difficulty, however, was soon dispelled, as my host most kindly
allowed his pretty daughter to accompany me, and a very plea-
sant conn»anion she jiroved, as well as a most useful one ; for
being thoroughly mistress of the language she was able to make
all arrangements in the most satisfactory manner.
A gentleman in the Forest Department did much to make our
way sui<x)th, having most courteously placed at our disposal the
large.st, gentlest elephant in his stud, and allowed us the use of
the F<irest Bungalow, a roughly furnished house built for the
accomnuHlation of the foresters when on their tours of inspection.
He further sent an intimation to the principal moonshec and big
men of the town, announcing our approach, and laying on them
the strictest commands to see that no evil befel us.
So one beautiful morning we started before sunrise in doolies
(a sort of canviis box-bed), each carrieil by six men, who walked
calmly along for the whole thirty miles, with only one re.st of
half-an-lumr for their jK)or, frugal dinner. I never saw such
walkers. On our elejihant rode the khitmotgar, who wu.s to
cook for us, together with all his drgehis {alias cooking-pots) and
other stores.
Our road lay along the rich wide valley, bounded on the left
by the Himalayas bathed in lilac light, and on the right by the
low, jiine-clad Siwalik range. Soon, however, we were in the
uncleared jungle, which wtvs not very striking. Here and there
was a gtXKl tree, but the general effect was of very tangled
underwood. There were pretty bit.s, however, where delicate
parasitical phint.s of tendcrest green bind their large-leaved
neighltours to the .slender palms, and swing from branch to
branch in light feathery festwn.s. And as you look closer, you
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<J;v;*rni an *:n‘ii<=5s vari^^ty of grttuery, all interwoven with bright
b!o^v>His, ai)‘l ‘«>inet lines a quick of wings gleams in llie
sfUfiligliL One lovely flower, growing in rich pn>fu«ion, seemel
like a wil<l a?j/aragu.s ; liui each little feathery tuft of the tall
plume was covere*! with tiny white blossoms, set at regular
iiite-rvals. ami each tuft was guanle<l by one sharp thorn.
I'lit the l»eauty of the grasses was beyond telling, and their
eiclless variety was a source of unbounded pleasure. Scarcely
one wjrnmon English jiattem of grass was missiug. but all on
a llrolslingnagian scale. Jumping grass, and trembling, Iwwing
grass ; spiky grass, and tufte<l grass ; waving grass like w ild oats ;
silky, featheiy gius'cs. (lo into the wixkIs and autumn fields,
and count, if you can, the almost innumerable variety of these
little delicate plants. Tlien imagine every one of these repn>
duc(sl eight or ten feet high, some far higher, and add to them
veiy many species unknown here ; and then you will have some
notion of the Indian jungle gra-sses. There are white, silky
spikes like fianijxis grass, and tall, tos,sing ]dumes like ostrich
feathers. Great, black, drmijting jduines also like the English
marsh iw;ds exaggerated ; and tall, jiink, sirkec grass, whose great
rosy plumes waved far above our heads as we sat on the tall
elephant. The latter is, I think, the commonest of all. Imagine
all of these growing together in densest luxuriance, and you wiU
see that Indian gra.s.'cs are not a feature to lie overlooker!.
As we drew near llardwar, or llaridwar, that is, the g-ate of
1 lari, the sun-g<Kl, ff/iVis Krishna, we made the cook dismount
and distribute his cooking-jiots among the coolies, while we took
jios.sesfiion of the elephant, .so as to coiumand a lietter view on
entering the city. Here, indeed, the country is lovely. The two
mountain chain.s almost meet, and in the interv'ening valley
flows the broad, clear, beautiful Ganges, a.s yet unsullied by the
filth of her worsliijuiers. The water is clear as cry.stal, of the
most exquisite aquamarine colour, and delicious to drink. No
wontler that the people see in her the purest of goddesses, and
lulore Ganga, the daughter of Himarat (the Himalayas), aliove all
their other gods.
We did congratulate ourselves on having found her in this
calm, heavenly temper ; had we lieen three months earlier we
might have learned to hate her as corlially ns we did the yellow
.Sutlej. For tlie colour nf these rivei-s v.-irics not only with
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101
tlie soil where they have their source, but al.su with the sea.soii
of the year. All those which flow from the snows and glaciers
are turbid in summer, and are generally clear and Iduish in
autumn atid winter, whereas those rising in lower ranges are
generally clear at all seasons. Thus the Ganges at midsummer
is a rushing, mighty, muddy cataract, of twenty times the volume
it has in winter. Then, instead of the green, glas.sy pools and
quiet reaches that so enchanted us in autumn, we should have
found a boisterous river swidlen with melted snows, ami nmd
and rain, tearing and foaming along in rapid overwhelming
current.
1 am told that tlie .sister stream, the blue Jumna, is invariably
clear, inasmuch as she does not ri.se in the snow. I confess I do
not understand the statement, as lier birthplace, Jumnoutri, is
a snow-peak as glittering as that Gangoutri whence flows tin;
mighty Ganges. The Jumna, however, although thus cradled
amid the eternal snows, is said to be greatly affected by the
vicinity of hot siwings.
The.se glacial streams contain no animal life, at all events no
tish, till they have received the watera of wanner tributarie.s.
Here, ns in alt rivers of the plains, one striking feature is the
wide e.Ntent of shingly, sanity soil, showing how broad a space
the waters sometimes cover, and also how the bed of the river
varies fnmi year to year. In fact, in )>assing through soft yield-
ing sand, it makes no definite channel, so that the main stream
of one year may flow a mile away from that of the previous year.
Having once taken a new line of its own, it must peiforce go on,
rushing onwanl with an impetus that sweeps all before it. Such
inundations too often destroy whole villages, carrving with them
all the little household trea.sures ; to say nothing of grain, goats,
sheep, and all little farm stocking, the people barely e.scaping
with their lives ; a heartrending scene too often repeated, and
one which gives tremendous meaning to that Hindu jiroverb
which, in allusion to m.atrimonial quarrel.s, describes a wife who
goes away in anger “ like a river in the rain-s.” In the plains,
whera the low, flat .shores afford no .strong iMiundary line to resist
the fury of the advancing flood, it sometimes extends for many
miles on either side of the usual bed of the rivei-s, .so that vast
trai-ts of land are wholly submerged, and continue .so for many
days. As far as the eye can reach, the country apjiears like one
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
pipniitic lake, dotted with tree-tops, and with the rotifa of the
houses whereon the wretclied atan’ing inmates cower, beholding
the destruction of all their property in those seething waters,
and waiting in hojjeless fiatience for the day, perhaps far distant,
when they shall once more subside; or when some friendly boat
shall come to their rescue, possibly too late to be of any avail.
As an example of such an inundation, 1 may instance that of
18G6, as described by Dr. Hunter, when in a single district of
Oris.su, 27o s<iuure miles were submerged, for from five to forty-
five days, the <lepth of the water averaging seven feet, hut in
some villages being fully ten. “The rivers came down like
furious Vmlls, bursting their banks in every direction. More
than 412,000 people were suddenly driven out of house and
home, and found themselves in the middle of a boiling ocean.
Thousands of luiseraljle families floated alsuit in canoes, on bam-
boo rafts, on trunks of trees, or on rice sacks, which threatened
every moment to di.s.solve into fragments beneath them. Every
banyan tree hn<l its rookery of human beings, while the Brah-
mins, from the roofs of their brick temples, looked down in
safety as the flood roared past. The crunmon danger disiirmed
all creatures of their natural antipathie.s. Snakes glided up to
the roofs, and burrowed harmle.ssly in the thatch. Sheep and
goats were carried away by herds in the torrent, and in a few
days their canvases came to the surface, and floated about, covered
with crows and kite.s. But the most pitialile sight of all was
the plough cattle, standing in shallow ]>arts up to their necks,
and hungrily snuffing the barren waters for fiwd, until they
sank exhausted into the slime. Ere the flood subsided, many a
famished family had also sunk beneath the waters.”
Of course such an inundation as is here referred to is happily
an extreme ca.se, but even the onlinary rains cause most trouble-
some deviations in the courses of rivers, as what is amble land
one year, may l>e selected by the river as its channel the follow-
ing year — a channel which may shortly be once more forsaken,
and left as a worthless sandbank or marsh. In like manner, the
field that in a)>ring was the centre of a compact farm, may, ere
the autumn, have become an island, difficult of access.
One of the most remarkable instances of ermtic conduct on
tbe part of a river was in the case of the Brahmapootra, which
within the first thirty years of the present century actually
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clianged it.s course two luiiulred miles to we.«tward, thus com-
pletely revolutionizing the condition of two great tracts of coun-
try, the ancient cities which it forsook lieing thereby ruined,
while the jmorest villages that chanced to lie on the brink of its
new channel became rich and prosperous, not only on account
of the great roadway for trade thus brought past their very
doors, but also because of the facilities for irrigation, and the
rich soil annually brought down by the overflowing waters.
This mighty stream which now unites with the eastern mouth
of the Ganges, and helps to form the great I.lelta, lormerly flowed
to the east of Dacca, and found its way to the sea in a wholly
difl'erent direction.
This tendency to a wayward course is more or less betrayed
by all Indian streams, and is the rea-son why our first vision of
the Ganges, above llardwar, was of wide reaches of sand,
a]iparently extending right across the valley — sand, however,
which was half covered b)’ the tall sirkee grass, whose great pink
feathers waved and quivered in the light of the setting sun. And
tlmjugh the faint hot luize gleamed the soft delicate outline of
the hills, which an eastern jx>et has compared to some celestial
spirit ass\uning visible form and crowned with sun and snow.
We rode on through the lujly city, thereby acquiring unutter-
able .sanctity, and becoming objects of envy to many a poor
Hindu in far-away districts. The town is very small, and by
no means imposing, although every house we passed was more
or less ornamental ; many were richly carved and painted ;
each window has its own small overhanging balcony, anil some
of the dome.stic architecture is very fine. But in the middle of
the main street comes the usual, odd, eastern blending of the
tawdry and the magnificent, for the most rubbishy little booths,
with brown thatch, till up each side of the road, being built up
against the.se fine, tall houses. Of cour.«e the efiect is most
picturesque, and the intense depth of colouring, and rich brown
shadows thus obtained are very pleasant to the artistic eye.
The crowds who throng the street are purely Hindu, all pur-
suing their ordinarj^ avocation.s. Multitudes are provided with
great baskets of flowers, lovely garlands of roses and marigolds,
as offerings to the idols, but e.specially to the river, on which
they float so gracefully. The lip of the water is generally
actually lined with hlos-soms.
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Other men are all day long busy sealing up Uill, thin bottles in
wicker cases full of holy Ganges water, which all i)ilgrinis carry
home, and therewith anoint their idols, at the other end of the
empire. F<ven this sealing process is curious, for instead of a
little commonplace fire, the men we noticed had each kindled one
end of a whole tree, and were allowing it gradually to smoulder.
This, remember, was all in the open street, and the blue smoke
from the fires curled upwards in a light film, blending with the
warm brown tones of thatch and shadow. Groups of women in
bright colours were preparing cjikes of the fuel of the country, and
were plastering them all over the fine houses, to bake in tbesun.
The chief trade of the town seemed to Ikj cotton picking.
Everything else was more or less in the.sacn*d line. Many stalls
were exclusively for the sale of brass idols of every sort and
kind, chiefly neat little pocket idols. Tliere were thousands of
bra.ss bells, such as are rung in the tenijdes ; incen.se burnei-s.
flower va.ses, absurd brass toys, mirrors, lotas, glass bottles of
every shape for holy water, while many men are wholly occupied
in making basket-work ca.ses for the.se. I think all the other
looths were devoted to the sale of sweetmeats and beads — lH*ads
of every sort and kind and colour, ridiculoiusly cheap.
The temples lie all along the edge of the river. There are
none of very striking architecture, but the general effect is never-
thele.ss picturesque in the extreme. TIte domes are chiefly
j>yramidal, very tall in proportion to their height, almost like
thick spires, and much carved. Some are short and low, and
encrusted with a pattern like huge roses in stone. They are
mostly overshadowed with sacred peepul trees — tlie abode of
innumerable monkeys, who have the run of the temjde and of
the t<4wn ; and who sit ]>erched on roofs or balconies, insi)ecting
the various goods offereil in the market below, and, suddenly
pouncing down, help them.selves to whatever they' fancy', none
venturing to thwart the sacred animals.
Passing through the town, our road lay for almut a mile beside
the river, sometimes overshadowed by fine old banyan trees and
small temples. We found tbe jdeasant little bungalow all
ri!ady for us. The compound was surrounded with a fine hedge
of tall aloes in blossom, far alxive which waved the pink sirkee
gm.ss, which in fact was actually higher than the house. Beyond
were fine trees and clumps of tall l)aml)Oo.
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Anotlier house .stood near, inhabited by the only Clirisliaii
resident in the district, a clerk in the telegraph office. I believe
he is an American, quiet and shy in speaking to such rnra aim
as ourselves, but brave and plucky enough in other matters.
Fancy this only Christian in that hotbed of heathenism, going
bravely out to the temples at the hours of sacrifice to preacl),
which, I was told, he does most eloquently. If you can imagine
a solitary Hindu explaining his views of religion at some great
revival meeting in Ireland or Scotland, you may perhaps realize
the situation. The people listen to his words as to a curious
and pleasant storj% but he told me that he had not the smallest
reason to hope he had over made one convert. Nevertheless if
pleading for the blaster’s cause, when that cause is unpopular, be
the truest test of disoipleship, it may be that from this far-away
village there shall some day be gathered one of earth’s least, who
shall be chief in the Master’s kingdom.
How strange it did seem to find a telegraph working in this
out-of-the-way place, and to know that, if need were, I could
have flashed a message home by lightning ! Nor was this the
only wonderful proof of England’s skill that had astonished the
people of Hardwar. Within a stone’s throw of our bungalow
was the head of the great Ganges canal, the work which above
all others, not even excepting the railway, has most amazed the
natives, and wdiich will, through long ages, prove the most price-
less boon to this thirsty land. Of all India’s difficult questions,
that of irrigation has always proved a fertile source of trouble
in a land subject to sudden and prolonged droughts, such as
must inevitably destroy the growing crops, especially the rico
fields on which so many myriatls are wholly dependent. This
too in a country where vast districts have even now no good
roads whereby to bring food from afar. Of course a friglitful
famine follows, such as that of which we have in several recent
years heard .such appalling statistics ; human beings dying in
numbers almost incredilde, while bullocks, cows, sheep and
goats have all shared the same horrible fate. And, looking
back a few years farther, we find that in 1833 a million and a
half of human beings perished in the awful famine.
To avert such horrors as these, the Mogul emperors devoted
their chief energies. Thus we hear of I'eroze Toglah ha^^ng
made one great canal from the Ohetang river to Hansi and
VOL M. X
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Hissar, and lie Ijordt-red his canal with trees which should give
to all travellers shade, and hhissom, and fruit. Moreover, he
made thirty great resenoirs, and fifty dams across the river, for
juirjioses of irrigation. He also con.structe<l road.s that should
ojK'ti u|i the Country, with one hundred and fifty bridges, and one
hundrwl caravanserais for travellers. When Shah Jehan suc-
ceeded to the thrrme, he made a branch canal from that of
Feroze, which wa.s carried by an aquwluct of nia.somy right
through Helhi, whence watercourse.s divergexl to supidy all
qiiarb-rs of tlie town, the tanks and ganlen.s. Two hundred
years later these were ehokcil up during intestine wars, and,
as wc have seen, were once more restored by the Pia.st India
Conqiany. Akbar’s chief jmrt in this matter seems to have lieen
repairing tlic works of his predeccs.sors.
For England was reserveil tlie honour of devising this mighty
(Jang(*s canal, and for Sir I’roby Cautley the merit of designing
it. Its first suggestion was met with utter amazement on the
jiart of the Ilindu.s. To those who dwelt in distant regions, the
jtoHsibility that these sacred, life-giving waters might jierhaps lie
brouglit to their very doors was so a.sbiunding tliat tliey could
hardly Iwlieve in it, more especially ns the lirahmins denounced
the undertaking ns altogether impious, and declared that the
great giMlde.ss (iungn would swiftly avenge herself on the rash
mortals who dared attempt to divide the .sacred .stream, and
assign to her any course save that in which it should please her
to How.
IJreat, then, was the interest witli which they marked the
vicissitudi-s of the work, and of course the difticulties of such an
undertaking were manifold. In many places the canal is con-
stantly endangered by the overwhelming torrents which, only
during the ruins, ru.sh down from the mountains, varying their
course from year to year at tlieir own sweet will. Sometimes
foundations hail bi Ik> laiil on the shifting sjuids across these
vague ri\'cr beds. Across one of these — the river .Solani — the
canal has In-en carried by a great aqueduct, ending in a raised
embankment tlm*e miles long, thus reaching the town of
Roorkee. Heyond Roorkee two long tunnels of strong masonry
carry the canal below the beil of similar torrents.
Rut in .some places the levels will not admit of either of these
mctliods, and then comes the soivst test of engini*ering skill.
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when, by the help of mighty weirs ami sluiee.s, the flood is
carried right acros.s the lied of the canal, whose own waters are
held back by great floodgates. Those who have witnessed this
bridling of the mad, foaming waters, thus mightily forced back
by the work of puny human atoms, speak of it as a scene of
breathless excitement utterly indescribable. The raging torrent
comes tearing down from the mountains in headlong career,
sweeping onward with irresistible might, and bringing with it
huge, tree trunks, rocks, and every conceivable variety of heavy
plunder, accumulated on its way. These act as battering-rams
to beat down whatever might dare to opjxise its course, and as
the boiling flootl dashes over the canal works their very
existence is often endangered.
These are a few of the difficultie-s with which the engineers
of this wonderful canal have had to contend.
Imagine, then, what a moment of excitement that must have
been wben in 1854 the mighty work w.is complete, and the
canal opened ; an excitement extending over the length and
breadth of the land, as the great lx)dy of water, four times the
volume of the Thames at Windsor, flowed rpiietly away from
the mighty river into its new channel, exchanging its free
wanderings over vague .sands for an imprisonment in a bed of
bewn stone. Then passing gently onwaixl, on a coui-se of four
hundred miles, it supjdics means of irrigation to about six hundred
thousand acres, besides bringing joy and gladness to myriads of
Hindus, who went out to meet the advancing waters with
wilde.st enthusiasm, casting thereon garlands without number^
therein recognizing the presence of their favourite goddess, and
knowing, moreover, that henceforth they would be spared the
trouble of long and weary pilgrimages to her shores. The canal
that has done so much good work on its way rejoins the mother
stream at Cawnpore, its last action being to supply abundant
streams of life to the Memorial Gardens, thus transforming a sea
of driest dust into a peerless rose-ganlen with greenest turf.
The canal is entirely in the hands of Government, the farmers
paying a given sum }ier acre, varying with the nature of their
crop. Of course such grains as Indian corn, and others
requiring a dry soil, pay very much le.ss than sugar-cane or rice,
more especially the latter. In fact, the “ Paddy Fields,” as they
are called, reqtiire for several weeks to he kept entirely flooded.
X 2
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The land thus fertilized yields quick retunis. The crops of
harley, wheat, and divers other grain sown in October are reaped
in April, while the rice and other crops sown in early summer
are reaped in the end of autumn.
Thus, then, the blessed waters cany life to all this district.
Wherever their influence extends there are splendid crops and
healthy flocks. Where it ceases there is drought and starvation ;
dry l>eds of sand instead of green fields, cattle dying for lack of
forage, poverty and misery on every hand — in many ])laces a
difliculty in obtaining even the scantiest supply of foul water.
Well may the Hindus acknowledge the priceless blessing of this
pure stream.
Clo.se to the head of the canal is a very fine Imthing ghaut,
long flights of wide stone stairs, recently built by Government
to endeavour in some measure to lessen the awful crush of
pilgrims who here assemble at the great annual fair. For
Hardwar, being the city nearest to the source of the Ganges, is
accounted well-nigh os holy as Gangoutri itself, where the
river rises at the ba.se of a mighty glacier.
Once a year, then, pilgrims must assemble from every corner
of the empire, the day being decided by the Hindu astrologers.
For the fair must be held when Jupiter is in Aquariu.s, at the
time of the Sun entering Aries. The city, as I before observed,
is especially sacred to the Sun-god, Hari, alias Krishna, and is
dear to the Hindus as being “The Gate of the Sun, Haridwar."
Many of their old legends tell of the great deeds of the Heri-
cules, the lords of the race of Hari the Sun, and it has been
suggested that .some of these may have travelled to Kgypt, and
from thence have l>een adopted by the old Giceks, who thus
originated the fables of their Sun-god Hercules. You remember
that the ancient Egyptians worshipped the Sphinx as Harimukh
— that is, the Sun on the horizon.
For days Itefore the great fair of Hardwar the people arrive,
streams pouring in incessantly, and encamping on every avail-
able spot. They bring their whole families, for all alike need to
wash away their .sins in that pure stream, and the vilest wicked-
ness will a.ssuredly be cleansed by one plunge in those cool, clear
waters, provided only that the golden atonement be not lacking.
Coins must be freely showered into the sacred river at the time
of prayer; and the priests, who have already received their
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offering before allowing the pilgrim to enter llie cleansing flootl
are privileged to search the sands for any coins which the
goddess may not think worth taking for herself.
Here, then, multitudes from north, .south, east, and we.st come
once a year to worship — Kashmerians, I’er.sians, I’aharis, Hindus
of every possible sect. To these are added Tartars, Affghans,
Cabulecs, and Jlohammedans of many nations, lirawn thither
simply by the great foir, as to a profitable market In the
liist place, it is the chief horse fair of the year, and every con-
ceivable variety of the animal is here to t>e found, from the
sturdy ponies of Calml and Kashmere, to the fleet Arab or
heavy “ Whaler,” as the steed of New South Wales is commonly
called.
Nor is the fair for horses only. Elephants, camels, buffaloes,
cows, sheep, monkejs, dogs, cats, bears, and occasionally hunting
cheetahs and leopards, are among the zoological varieties here
offered for sale. Every man brings whatever he has got to
disjiose of. There are merchants selling all manner of dried
fruits ; Cabul grapes in tho.se well-known round bo.ves, where
tlie graj)cs are laid separately in layers, j>acked in cottonwool to
exclude the air ; sweetmeats, nuts, all manner of Indian and
Kashmere .shawls, woollen goods, jewels for rich and poor,
precious stones unset, silvery hubble-bubble vases, together
with all manner of European goods. You may even sometimes
detect a case of French rouge lying beside the henna [!repaved
for the fingers of eastern damsels.
The holiest spot in all Hard war is a ceifain (jhaitt, in the
heart of the little town, just below a favourite temple. Here
everyone nishes to bathe on the great day of the fe.stival, and
often half a million of people contrive to plunge in at this
consecrated spot within a few houre. Men, women, and children,
as usual, all bathe cpiite indiscriminately. They plunge joyously
in, as if thoroughly enjoying themselves in the clear rippling
stream, and the women washing their long raven hair, and all
coming out again, as fresh as . . . well, I cannot say iis fresh as
daisies ! more like glos.sy horse-chestnuts ! The richer pilgrims
are led into the water, supjmrted on either side by a 'venerable
Brahmin, who carefully takes them to the mid-stream, plunges
them in thrice, silently and solemnly, then e.scorts them to land
once more; a very gmve proceeding, much in the style of tlie
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310 FROM THE HEBRIDES
soK-mn three dips and out agiiin of the genuine liealth-seeker at
the seaside.
The average attendance at the annual gatliering is somewhere
al)out two hundred thousand human Iteings. Every twelfth year,
however, it increases to something nearer two millions. For on
the twelfth year it is siippose<} that Krishna himself revisits the
earth, and is invisihly present at the great fair. Therefore the
sanctity of Hurdwar at that time is beyond telling. It is
literally the gate of heaven, and such a concentrated es.seuce of
holiness is sheil abroad as to ensure the salvation of all who are
l»resent. Death under such circumstances merely means a sudden
translation to a world of bliss, and it is even supposed that any
t.'hristians present would have some chance of being iucludeil.
In bygone years some very awful accidents have occurred at
this time, when these observers of times and seiisons, and days
and hours, all struggled to reach the holiest (jluml at the very
moment declared by the astrologers to lie the most propitious.
The most appalling scene of all was enacted at the great fair in
1820, when the concourse of people was unusually great. The
crowd poured in from both sides along a broad street, from
which a narrow sti-cet, diverging down a steep flight of steps,
leads to the sacred bathing-place. As the hour drew nigli the
multitude pressed on more and more eagerly. New comers, not
knowing the nature of the ground, and the steepness of that
nanow street, still pressed more and more earnestly, struggling
to force the othei-s onwards ; themselves crushed by those Ijchiud.
Thus the living torrent wiis borne along with irresistible impetus,
the crush becoming more and more awful ns the immense mass
tif living beings became so tightly wedged as to be perfectly im-
movable. Every moment the pressure became more terrific,
and every atteni])t at e.vtrication more utterly hopeless. At first
the aj)palling shrieks of agony of the cnished and dying were
meiged in the general roar and hubbub of Hindu voices, at all
times tumultuous, and the eager worshipjiers in the rear still
pressed on, so that it was some hours before the street could be
cleared. When, at length, they began to suspect that something
was amiss, and the human mass recoiled, the city pre.seiited a
scene ns of a dreadful battlefield. Upwards of one thousand
corp.ses strewed the ground! hundreds more were maimed for
life, thousands more or Ic.ss iiijuicd. A terrible .sacrifice iinleed.
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to the calm sunny ■'(Khless, wlmse clear, *?Teen waters flowed on
unperturbed, little beetling the agonizing struggles of those who
sought to do her honour.
Now' the bathing is all under supervision of the native police —
Government servants — and their arrangements are ailmirable. By
simply dividing the stream of pilgrims they are kept in order,
their numbers regulated, and the recurrence of any accident such
as this becomes impossible.
The spot which is supposed to be e.specially dear to Krishna on
the occa.sion of his twelfth yearly visit is just above the great
new bathing ghaut, where a .stone throne is set for him on a
raised stone platform between two stately Indian fig-trees, w'hose
thick glossy leaves cast a deep, cool shallow all around. These
trees are surnjunded by short, very broad pillara of divers heights,
whereon loathsome, naked Fakeers, of varied degrees of sanctity,
lie crouching or sprawling the livelong day, awaiting the offerings
of the faithful. No lieings could be imagined more villanously
ill-favoured and repulsive than these revolting creatures, the very
sight of whom always fills one with invincible di.sgust, and not
always without goial reason, for though some doubtless are
earnest enough in their austeritie.s, the sanctity of others is
merely assumed as a veil enabling tliem the more easily to
“ t’ompoiind for sins they are indineil to.
By damning those they Imve no mind to.”
It was a source of intense satisfaction to us that at the time of
our visit all these foul wretches had removed their saintly presence
from beside the grsuid old trees, which were so close to our bun-
galow that we spent many pleasant hours beneath their green
shadow, looking down on the glas.sy river. On these occasions
the worthy moomhee who had received such strict commands
concerning us was sure to Ire hovering somewhere in our neigh-
bourhood. He was a Mohammedan, one of the very few whose
work brings them to this Hindu city. He was a very great man
indeed, and most an.xious to impress us with a due sense of his
own importance. More especially he was always laughing at
the follies of Hindu worship, though he escorted us to an infinite
number of temples, which he would not enter, however, but gave
us in charge to the priests, who made the most of their funny
little show, just like cliildrcjJ showing their doll-houses, and quite
an.xious that we should be amu.scd thereby.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
Ikit tlie great vuxnixhcc had some cuiious little jugglery of his
own, at least I hardly know what else to call it in this faith-
less age wliich cannot believe in evident answers to modern
prayer. One day, while we were sitting under the great tree, a
poor woman came past half carried by her son. She was writh-
ing in agony, having been bitten in the foot by a scorpion.
AVlien the great man heard what was the matter, he at once
knelt down on the ground muttering prayers, and taking up a
handful of dust, he therewith rubbed the wound. The woman,
who had sunk down, almost in a convulsion, slowly came to
herself, and in a few minutes arose, blessed him, and walked
away, sc.arcely needing any su]>]>ort at all. We asked him
what he had really done to her, and he declared that he had
only prayed for her and then touched the foot.
I find that Forbes, in his Indian Travels, has recorded a very
similar occurrence which he attributes to magnetism. It was
the ca.se of a man named Lullabhy, who certainly had almost
niiraculous power in curing the bite of the most venomous
serpents, and who recovered many natives when apparently
on the very brink of death. On one occasion the Kesident of
Baroche, believing this to be all deception, determined to test
his skill. One of the gardeners having been bitten by a cobra,
Lullabhy was sent for, and asked whether he could cure the
sufferer, who lay in great agony, and quite delirious. He replied
that by the blessing of God he should doubtless succeed. But
it was not till the man had become s])eechless, and the state
of his pulse showed the rapid ajiproach of death, that Lullabhy
was permitted to approach him. He stood for a few moments
in silent prayer ; then commenced waving a short dagger over
the dying man, without touching him. The patient still con-
tinued motionless, but at the end of half an hour his heart ap-
peared to beat, circulation quickened; w'ithin an hour he moved
his limbs and recovered his senses. By the end of the third
hour his complete cure was effected, and he was sent home to
his family, and in a few days recovered from the weakness occa-
sioned by the convulsive paroxysms which, probably, would never
have been so severe or of such long continuance had the coun-
teracting influence been sooner applied.
Tbe poor woman, whose scorpion bite had Wen thus strangely
cured, bad already departed, when another poor soul came along
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and sank down to rest beneath the wide-spreading shadow of the
old trees. She was utterly exhausted, well-nigh fainting ; but
what was that to her? for she had walked the whole way from
Kashmere to worship at these shrines, and was she not now
within a mile of her goal? 'Yhe moonshce gave her a handful
of pice, but could not resist a little playful chaff on the utility
of tlie journey. If you glance at a maj), and see how far
llardwar lies from Kashmere, you will have some notion
of the weary weeks it must have cost that poor fragile woman
to reach the shrine whence her prayer must so surely rise to
Heaven. I wonder how many Christians would have done as
much.
I must say for our bear-leader that he obeyi-d to the letter the
commands he hud received, and did take immense care of us.
Wherever we went, riding llie stidely old elephant, he followed
on another, attended by a series of “ forest-rangers," who relieved
guard in so important a charge, so that our progre.ss wa.s quite
imposing. Considering that we were genendly out from dawn
till long after sunset, I think the worthy man was probably, in
his secret heart, glad of our departure. As I before said, he
took us a round of innumerable temples, though he himself
would not cro.ss the idolatrous threshold, but always waited for
us outside. I noticed the same thing at Benares, where we
were also in charge of a Mohammedan.
I think the priests must have favoured us considerably, for
they showed us all over the temples without even objecting to
our boots, and seemed quite delighted to do the honours of all
their hideous idols, painted and carved, their multitudinous
bras^ bells, their brazen horns, their sacred courts all covered
with elaborate carving, and mythological sculptures.
I frankly confess that there is something startling in the
rapidity with which one gets quite at lu)me amongst all this
paraidiernalia of heathenism, and how very soon idolatry ceases
to shock the mind, and becomes merely a curious study with
picturesque adjuncts. Six months pre\nously the sight of a
veritable temple with its hideous idols and devout worshippers
was a thing from which one shrank in shuddering pity. Now
we were quite connoisseurs, and loungetl from one temple to an-
other inspecting jewels and exquisite stone carving, and anything
wonderful the jiriests had to show, and quite forgot to be shocked.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
It was all so perfectly natural, and seemed so entirely in keep-
ing with the tastes of the j>eoj)le.
In some temples there are sacred hulls cars'ed in white marble
and adorned with precious necklaces. In others the attendant
priests spend the whole day pouring single drops of precious oil
on holy pebbles brought from the Xerbudda and other sacred
rivers, and here arranged in little trays. I could not help
liking these childish creatures, they were always so very gentle
and respectful, and often lookeil quite mortified at our shrinking
back from the necklaces of roses or marigolds from otf the
idol shrines which they wished to give us. We found a more
congenital interest in the monkeys, who were for ever careering
about with their babies in their arms, or sitting on their backs,
with their little arms round the parental necks. Indeed it was
sometimes very hard to distinguish them from the human babies
who squat in every direction far more naked than the monkeys.
The ceremonies in the various temples, of course, differ some-
what ; but the following description taken from the ItiU M&l^
of the ordinary routine in the temples of Vishnu, may serve as
a fair sample of the whole. Each day there are five daily
services. The first is at sunrise, when bells are rung in the tem-
ple, and drums and conch-shells are sounded to awaken the Dev,
or god, from his slumbers. Tlie ofliciating priest, having bathed,
enters the tenq)le, and swings before the idol a lamp having five or
seven brunches. An hour or two later the Dev is dressed in raiment
suited to the sea.son. In cold weather he wears a quilted coat,
and has a lighted brazier jdaced near him ; whereas in hot
weather he is anointed with sandal-wood dust and water;
clothed in fine linen, and adorned with flowers and jewels.. He
is then placed beside a fountain ami fanned by his attendants,
lu the rainy season he is dressed in scarlet cloth and shawls.
Then his breakfast of rice, milk, and other things is set
l>efore him, while his votaries perforin “ the sixteen acts of wor-
ship.” At noon there is a third service. The Dev is again
rubbed with oil of sandal-wood, or sandal dust and water, and
adorned with fresh flowers ; the lamps are trimmed, incense
burnt, and his dinner is set before him, after which he retires
for his noonday sleej), during which perfect silence must be
maintained in the temple.
At three in the afternoon the beating of a drum announces
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liis uwiikeiiing ; his attendants bring in fruit and sweetmeats,
and various games for his amusement. At sunset he is set on
a tlirone ; his feet are bathed, water is sprinkled over him,
his mouth is washed, more sandal-wood ointment, flowers and
incense are offered. He is again clothed, goes through the form
of a lengthy dinner ; concluding with the offering of betel
leaves, and again the branched candlestick is waved before him.
Meanwhile all the congregation agixin perform “ the sixteen acts
of worship,” one of which is to walk round the temple following
the course of the sun (the deisul of the Celts), a ceremony
which some perform only once, others seven times, and some
even as often as one hundred and eight times ! Only think how
giddy they must be ! At each turn a certain formula of prayer
is uttered. The number of the turns has reference to the
hundred and eight known sins, to guard against which the
Buddhists have adopted this for the number of beads in their
oft-told rosaries.
The last of the five daily services takes place at night, when
the image is supposed to sup on bread and milk, and having
received the usual oblations of incense and flowers, he is un-
dressed and put to bed, if he be movable, otherwise he is covered
with shawls and quilts. And this is the daily life of Vishnu
and Rama, and sundry other favourite ileities.
Among the most remarkable objects in these Hindu temples
here and elsewhere are the great statues of bulls in marble or
in metal. It has often struck me as singular that in the great
Brazen Laver, which Solomon was commanded to make for the
use of the Temple, the symlwls selected for the adomnlent of that
consecrated Molten Sea should have been tho.se which in later
ages were to hold .so prominent a place in the symlwlism of
faiths so widely spread as those of Brahma and Buddha. That
huge laver, you will remember, was siipj)orted by twelve oxen
of cast metal, three looking to each point of the compass, while
the brim of the great sea itself was all wrought with flowers of
lilies, much the same, I suppose, as the pattern of lotus or water
lily with which the throne of Budillia is invariably edged. That
sea, as we all know, was broken up by the Clialdeans, and carried
to Babylon as old bra.ss.' It might happen that some wandering
‘ 1 KiiiRs vii. 'ZK : 2 Kiiij;' sv. 13.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
child of the captivity may have carried some fnigment of this
“ lily work ” still farther east.
However, without straining at such vague possibilities, it is
impoasible to walk through any Hindu “ecclesiastical bazaar”
without recalling the descriptions of all vessels of the Temple ;
the cauldrons, the pots, and the bowls ; the shovels and the
snuRers and the sjarons, the censers, the basons, the lamps, the
candlesticks, and all manner of things to be made either of gold
or of bright brass which might be continually scoured. Here
in the open sunlight are stalls heaped up with all sorts of brass-
work for the use of the worshippers. Incense burners and
curious spoons, basons and lamps, pots and bowls, and a thou-
sand other things of which we knew neither the name nor the
use, but which the owners were continually scouring, till they
gleamed in the sun. As to the marble or metal bulls, these seem
to have found a ]dace in almost every known form of idolatry,
for it is said that the worship of the sacred bull may be traced
in almost all lands, beginning, of course, with the Apis of the
Egyptians, and the golden calf. It also existed in Persia, Rome,
Greece, Tjtc, and A.ssyria. The Japanese now worshij) an ox-
headed god ; and it is said that even in Britain this faith once
found a place, though I believe that such bovine inuiges as
have from time Ix'cn dug up in this country have gener-
ally been proved to be of Homan origin. Such doubtless
were those thirty small, stone bulls found at Burghead, in
Morayshire, while making the harlsjur in the immediate neigh-
bourhood of the old Roman well.
The astrologera lent their knowledge to the service of these
old mythologies, and the entrance of the sun into the sign of
Taurus at the vernal equinox was in all these nations a signal
for feasting and rejoicing. In Egypt cows were also sacred,
being especially dear to Isis, the moon-goddess, whose crescent
was recalled by their horns. We know that the ancient
Egyptians, like the modem Hindus, would never kill cattle.
Hence the abomination in which they held the sacrifice of such ;
so that the Israelites desired to go “ three days’ journey into the
wilderness ” Irefore they dared offer sacrifice according to their
custom. Of cow-woi-ship we hear again when Jeroboam made
his two golden calves ; of which secular history says that he
worshipped two young cows to whom he consecrated temples.
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817
ill which were golden images of two young heifers. Whether
cows receive actual worship in India I cannot say ; but we
certainly saw one temple in Benares, the whole court of which
was divided into stalls, each containing a sacred cow ; and an
uncommonly dirty temple it was in consequence.
Before coming to Hardwar I had been somewhat afraid that
the people might dislike my sketching propensities in a place of
such sanctity ; but I found that, on the contrary, this proved a
strong Ixmd of sympathy, as the usual Hindu interest in any-
thing like a picture ensured me every facility for my work ; and
so it came to pass that my pleasantest studio was the balcony
of an exceedingly reverent old Brahmin, whose curious, simple
little household arrangements were in themselves interesting.
His little mud oven in one corner of the room ; his poor little
cooking-pots and lotas, a rickety old bedstead, and little bags of
grain, in another; while tlie place of honour was, of course,
assigned to a hideous idol, crowned with flowers, and wet with
holy water, and smeared, of course, with red paint to symlwlize
the atonement of blood.
From that balcony I coultl look right up the main street,
with its carved houses, its thatched bazaar, its rich lights and
sliadows, and the ever-changing groups of monkeys and human
beings pa.ssing to and fro, or loitering in the market-place — an
ever-shifting, living kaleidoscojre. Close below me sat a young
Brahmin i>erched on a table, dre.s.sed up to rei)resent one of the
gods. He was thus pa.ssing his days in a plca-sant inaction
truly profitable, inasmuch as almo.st all who went down to
worship and bathe at the holiest ghaut made him some little
offering. He sat on the topmost step, where every bather
must leave his slippers; so that there were sometimes such
piles of these heaped up that you wondered how any man
ever hoped to recover his own queer curly-toed treasures.
Doubtle.ss they were safe enough here, but at railway stations
and other places the tru.sling owner of anything extra smart
is very apt to find that something amazingly shabby has been
substituted.
Close to these steps a brisk sale of flowers was going on ; and
great baskets of roses and large African marigolds added to the
brilliancy of the foreground. Every worshipper of the beautiful
river invested largely in these, and many garlands were showered
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31S FROM THE HEBRIDES
upon the waters. Multitude.s of Fakeers were startin',' on dis-
tant journeys with great jars of Ganges water in wicker case.s,
slung across the shoulder from a bamboo mlorned with peacocks’
feathers. 'Ihese men are almost invariably dre.ssed in deep
yellow or saffron robes, that being the most sacred colour of
these worshippers of the sun-god — just as the old Highlanders
accounted it lucky as being the colour of his rays.
Deeply interesting as were these days in the city, there were
others still more plea.sant, when the nice old elephant carried us
right through the Ganges to a large grassy island in mid-stream,
where we might spend the livelong day in j^erfect peace. As
the huge creature walked through the river, his great body made
a swirl in the water like the track of a steamboat. The crossing
was a very slow process, as even this half of the river was ex-
ceedingly wide, and the sensible old " Hath! ” never moved his
feet till he had sounded the ground before him, and maile sure
of safety. The only inhabitants of the green island were a set
of wild-looking Fakeers, intent only on their adoration of the
lovely river, to which every now and then they rushed down,
always jabbering the same unvarying cry, and ending with a
yell. Tlien they once more retreated to their hut. I suppose
our watch-dog considered them safe neighbours, for having once
seen us safely settled, he allowed us two days of the most
enchanting repose, only fetching us in the evening for an ele-
phant ride to some place worth seeing.
When I call our island grassy, you must remember that 1
speak of Indian grasses, waving far overhead; tall tossing
plumes and spikes, black, white, pink, or green, but chiefly
pink. Part of the island was covered with low brushwood,
bearing small yellow berries like little plums, of which the
natives eat quantities — an example which on this occasion we
followed with more pleasure than was warranted by the flavour
of the fruit, its wild growth on that far-away island giving it a
charm which you would well understand could you catch but
one glimpse of that lovely spot, with the glassy green river
flowing so calmly by. Indeed, Hardwar had altogether a feeling
of calm and repose that I found nowhere else in India. I do
not. however, suppose that many who have seen the place
would endorse that sentiment, inasmuch as the only week when
English people come here is at the time of the great fair, when
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their white tents are pitched among a thousand more, when
every available corner is alive with swarms of pilgrims or mer-
chants, and all is noise and stir and hubbub ; such ceaseless
noise as none can fully realize who have never mingled in an
Eastern crowd.
But to-day there was peace unspeakable on earth and sky ;
the crj'stalline goddc.ss and the beautiful home of her worship-
pr.’rs were alike looking their very best. And, in truth, the little
city as seen from the island is very fair to look upon. Each
temple and stately dwelling faces the river ; and, clinging to its
banks, the city extends in one long line of graceful, pyramidal
spires and domes, with porches of pillars rising fram hallowed
courts, and overshadowed l)y sacred trees, which throw their
trembling shadows athwart their own fair image, reflected in
the clear mirror below. The Injautiful goddess loves her own
birthplace too (those snowy peaks above Gangoutri), and in her
clearest, stillest pools, she reflects them faithfully, as though she
would cherish the image of that pure home of her infancy ere
she hurries on to receive the gross homage of mjwiads of wor-
shippers, by whom her clear depths are too quickly polluted, and
the loveliness of her aquamarine waters changed into the fold
yellow stream, from touch of which we in turn shrink in her
later days: the Gauges at Hardwar— the Ganges at Benaies.
No sweet country village, rapidly tran.sformed into a seething,
bustling, manufacturing city, with blackness of busy chimneys
and horrors of chemical works, can afford a moie striking con-
trast than does the lovely river at these two most sacred places of
pilgrimage. One week later we beheld the spoilt beauty, which,
having passed from city to city, had reached the very acme
of fame and of pollution, and was hurrying on to that ocean
whose waters would for many miles be discoloured by its filth.
The total length of that mighty stream is fifteen hundred
miles, of which thirteen hundred are navigable. It is difficult
for us in these days of swift railways to realize the incalculable
value of such a river as the Ganges, forming a broad highway
from the sea to the very foot of the Himalayas, affording a
constant route for communication and traffic in a country where
good roads and the art of making bridges were alike unknown
till first the Mohammedan conquerors and afterwanls the
English made them for themselves.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
We raise our eyes from the reflections in the clear green
waters to the glittering snow-peaks. The highest of these is
Gangoutri, where, at the base of the mighty glacier, lies a low
ice-arch called the Cow’s Mouth, whence, at a height of 13,800
feet above the sea, flows the Bhagarathi or true Ganges. This
shortly afterwartls receives the waters of the Alcananda, and
the double stream enters the great plain of Hindustan at
Hardwar, and is henceforth known to us as the Ganges, and
reverenced by myriads of Hindus as the goddess Gunga.
Hence she flows onward, doing her own good work in fertilizing
the land, and receiving the loving worship of her followers,
receiving moreover the waters of many tributary streams, the
Jumna, the Goggra, the Goomptry, the Sone, and many others.
About two hundred miles from the sea the Helte begins to be
formed, a Delta twice as large as that of the Xile. In the net-
work of waters which now interlace the country in every
direction, two principal arms dispute the supremacy. The
eastern, retaining the name of Ganges, mingles its waters with
those of the Brahmapootra ; but the western, or Hooghly, is said
by the natives to be the true Bhagarathi, and therefore the most
holy. Between these two lies a vast alluvial flat, nearly two
hundred miles in breadth ; the remaining waters, passing through
a swampy, pestiferous jungle, known as the Sunderbunds, the
haunt of tigers and other evil beasts, enter the sea by about
twenty mouths.
Brahmins and Buddhists alike have strange legends concerning
the source of this and other mighty streams, from dim caverns
in that mysterious world of rock and ice. Tliey tell how Siva
once came down to earth on a pillar of fire ; and how when he
returned to heaven he converted his fiery pillar into the
mythical mountain Mem. that it might for ever be to his wor-
shippers a symbol of his divine protection and presence. This
vast world-mountain, though invisible to any eye save that of
faith, towers heavenward, far alwve the highest Himalayan
summit. It is surmounted by three cones, on the greatest of
which are three golden peaks whereon repose the sacred Triad.
AV’ithin the- hidden recesses of this mysterious mountain the
gods prepare the life drink, which is the germ of all organic life.
In its dark caverns dwell the Asurs or giants of the Buddhists,
while their Vakas or demons roam on its .surface, and arournl
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 321
the summit are the abodes of such humaii souls as have attained
to exalted degrees of merit.
From_this sacred mountain of Meru tliere issues a celestial
river, which flows round the invisible city of Brahma, and then
discharges its waters into a mystic lake, Mansarovara, This
lake is guarded by four huge rocks in the form of animals,
from whose mouths issue four great rivers. The Ganges, as
we have seen, flows from the mouth of the cow, which
symbolizes earth, and the Hoangho from that of au elephant,
which is another symbol of mother earth. The Oxus flows
from the mouth of a horse, symbolic of water, while the tiger,
emblem of evil, vomits forth the Yenisei which flows towards
its frozen deserts.
Various traditions tell how in some of the wars of the gods
the mystic peaks of Meru have been broken, and fragments
thereof hurled far and wide, each Irecoming a centre of holiness
for the laud where it fell. One great rock-mass, having fallen
into the sea, became the island of Liinka or Ceylon. Many other
myths have sprung up concerning this invisible crown of Himla,
but we have neither time nor inclination to plunge into the
labyrinths of Oriental fable. Nevertheless as we watch the
golden sunset lighting up the great white masses of cloud, piled
in fantastic form, like etherealized mountains, and dwarfing the
true SHOW’S of earth, we recognize the poetic glory of that mystic
Meru, which to so many millions of our fellow's represents the
very throne of the Creator.
Descending once more from the ideal, we gaze on an outline,
well-nigh as shadowy, and quite as inaccessible. Bight before us
lies Gangoutri, the highest snow-peak we have yet seen. It
towers to a height of 22,798 feet. Near the source of the river
is a small temple, holier than all others, but so diflicult of access
that comparatively few pilgrims venture further than Hardwar,
which, we were told, is nearly a hundred miles short of the
mark. Whether that is true I cannot tell. The peak stood up
so distinct and bold that we could not have gne.ssed a quarter of
that distance, but then the wonderful clearness of the atmosphere
so soon after the rains brings everything close to the eye. It is
very different in hot weather, when a lilmy haze overspreads the
landscape, lii the little temple at Gangoutri there is a silver
image of the goddess Ganga, in the form of a woman. The
VOL. II. V
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
liil^rims are mostly of the poorer sort, but it is said that tlie
number of all classes who find their way to these hill sanctuaries
has greatly increased in proportion as the attendance at the
great gatherings in the central provinces has lessened. Railways
and good roads give facilities for travel of which multitudes
gladly avail themselves.
The hill festivals here seem to be much the same as those we
noticed in the Ivanawur valley, the sacrifices being followetl by
the same mystic, religious dance to the music of loud brazen in-
stnnnents. The girls and the men form in two long rows, men
and women rw-u-tu's. Each line is linked together by every
individual clasping his or her neighbour on either side round the
waist, and for an liour at a time they go on ailvancing and re-
treating, while singing choruses. These festivals are kept up all
night by moon and torch light.
It is not only religious devotees who visit this shrine. It is
a favourite hunting ground for musk-deer, snow-bears, and
burrell, or wild sheep. Sometimes the sportsmen who have come
hither in search of these have come in for more than they ex-
pected, from severe shocks of eartlapiake ; and these have told
us how when peacefully encamped in the calm moonlight they
had suddenly become conscious of tluit dread trembling, when
the strong foundations of the earth seemed to upheave, and
huge ma.sses of rock fell with headlong crash from the clifls
overhead, and rebounding, vanished in the abyss below’. It was
a very awful .scene, such a scene as makes even a great lord of
the creation almost acknowdedge what a poor little pigmy he is
after all.
Wiiile we were basking on our pleasant island like a pair of
turtle.s, or crocodiles, or any other creature that loves the warm
sunshine and the ripjile of gleaming w'aters, and while we were
moreover rejoicing in the sweet cool breath brought down by the
river from the ice-range, suddenly we beheld a most startling
n|)]iarition ! .Something rustled in the tall grass, and brushed
aside the wild plum trees, and stalked curiously onwanl. We
could scarcely believe our eyes. .lust imagine Robinson Crusoe's
feelings on seeiitg Friday, and then imagine ours on beholding
a hrac.e of white men taking a day’s shooting on our beloved
de.se.it isle! Its romance w:is gone. In another second they
Were also gone, but we were conscious of no longer being the
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. S23
sole jiale-faces in the district, and as we sat next morning on the
Fakeers’ pillars beneath tlie great sacred banyans, we could see
civilized creatures clad in common domestic broadcloth, busy
photographing I
Twice in the lovely evenings the gentle old elephant inotrf ,
“ The Pearl,” took us to Kanthal, a picturesque town two miles
down the river, where, at the time of the great fair, the wealthy
and high-caste Hindus encamp, so as to be out of the tumult of
Hardwar itself. Here are more temple.s, more carved houses,
more gateways, great huge gateways like exaggerated bars of
York ; but miserable architecture, with stucco as on the palaces
of Lucknow, in.stead of such carving as we had seen in the
Mohammedan cities, such as Delhi and Agra.
As to the monkeys they were literally innumerable. Every
branch of every tree seemed alive with them. On houses and
balconies they were perched, now swinging over garden walls,
now scampering over the roofs ; sometimes nursing their babies
tenderly as a woman ; then darting suddenly otT, leaving the
little one swinging on the tip of the maternal tail ; sometimes
carrying a baby in each arm ; sometimes running on all-fours
with the baby slung below, and grasping the parental botly.
Sometimes the young one sits on the shouhler, or astride on the
back; in short whatever attitudes human beings could devise
seem to come quite naturally to these absurd creatures.
We pas.sed from one shady, bowery' ganlen to another, and in
each were loaded with roses and jessamine, graceful offerings
from the inhabitants. Then we took up our station on a
terraced garden-wall, with turrets ; a high wall rising from the
river’s brink, whence we could look right down into its dear
green depths, far below us; or else might look up the quiet
reaches and along the wooded shores, to where the city of
Hardwar with its long line of temples lay mirrored in the calm
aquamarine pools ; and the grassy island, ami the Suwalik
hills (honeycombed with the cave-dwellings of the Fakeers)
and the Himalayas, with their ethereal peaks, which the
natives call Himla, “the Palace of Snow,” all were .softened and
blended by the mellow rose-coloured light of evening.
Soon the pleasant twilight deepened into night ; faint lights
began to twinkle among the black foliage. A thousand fairy
flies gleamed through the darkness, now veiling, now revealing,
Y -1
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324 FROM THE HEBRIDES
their pale green lamps ; till the whole air glittered with these
“winged lights that spangle India’s fields.” Presently the fire-
flies seemed to be floating on the river also. These were tiny
lights, set in little boats, which, launched at Ilardwar, had come
thus far in safety, weathering all dangers of currents and
ripples, and auguring well for the .safety of him whose welfiire
they symbolized. For still, a.s in the days of Lalla I’ookh, the
Hindu maids or mothers launch a frail raft, a bamboo, a cocoa-
nut, an earthenware jar, or some other tiny boat, wherein is
placed a cluster of lamps. If the.se burn stedfastly till the
boat floats out of sight all goes well with the loved one. But
should the little bark be caught by a sudden gust of wind or
engulfed in the darkness, then the shrinking woman with the
Siul gentle eyes, believes that the blast of adversity will surely
overcloud kis future. And so ehe steals home through the
darkne.ss, hca\'y of heart.
We arc in duty bound to believe that these lamps burn only
for chilli or husband ; lover lieing a relationship by no means
acknowledged in a land where no maiden may choose her own
lord, or even behold him, until her bridal day. We tried to
make our great moomhee weave some graceful romances for us,
a la Fernmon, but he preserved a discreet silence, for it is quite
against etiquette to allude to the existence of women, and all
the native men seemed invarialdy to shrink from any comment
on feminine actions. If we had only reached Hardwar one
night sooner, we should have seen the Dewali, or feast of lamps,
when the town was illuminated, and the whole river covered
with little fire oracles. At Dehra, where there is no river, the
people had to be content with commoner sorts of light. But
in every door and every window the women placed tiny
earthenware saucers of oil, with a wick, which acted as simple
lamps. 1 think the only person who had no light was an
English clergyman in the hotel, who feared it was something
idolatrous. To me it only seemed a graceful custom, so 1
cherished my little Dehra lamp in memory of the Dewali.
I am told that the dapanese have a very similar feast of
lanterns, and that at night .small lighted lamjis are launched on
the waters ; not, however, with reference to the well-lieing of the
living, but that their fate may reveal that of the souls of friends
and relations who have ]ms.sed away to the spirit-land.
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Only one more diiy remained to ns in thus sweet calm spot.
AVe spent part of it in the old i'akeer’s balcony ; and his
neighbours, mustering courage, came to inspect the drawing of
the street, and each with immense delight pointed out his own
house, and wanted to be repre.sented at his own door. They
said surely we would not go away without a jiicture of the
sacred ghnnt ; and strongly advised u.s to stay where we were,
as indeed we were sorely tempted to do. But we feared that
our bungalow might be mpured by the forest ofHcera who had
so courteously placed it at oiir disposal. So, soon after sun.set,
we said good-bye to our moonshce and the foresters, and the
quiet little bungalow, and .saw the last of llaidwar. Once
more we were in our doolies, the canva-s lio.x-beds, with our
dozen strong bearers, and 1 think a coujde of extra men as
viasalchees or torcdi-bearers, who marched before each doolie to
show the way, feeding their torches from time to time with oil
from a hollow gounl. The red torchlight only maile the dark-
ness of the jungle seem more intense; while throsving a strong
glare on our white, canvas Imx-beds, and the coarse white
turbans and drapery of the bearers, and falling with ruddy
glow on their dark faces and glossy limbs — a fine study in
browns.
There is something veiy strange — almost solemn — in such a
night march; when the deep stillness is oidy broken by the
measured tread of the beareis, and the deep-toned “ Khaherdar"
“ take care!” which, uttered by the leader, is chorused by all at
every diflicult bit in the road. Then, too, strange voices resound
through the fore.st ; insects of every sort awaken, and by turns
you hear sounds of chirjnng, and drumming, and whirring ;
some harsh, some shrill. Sometimes they seem all to join in
chorus, as if to suggest something of the exuberant animal life
which lies hidden under the green leaves. Then pale phos-
phorescent lights glimmer in the darkness, and mark the track
of the fire-flies.
Our bearers took their onward march in shorter stages than
they had done in coming. They halted repeatedly, to rest and
hubble-bubble ; always first kindling a great bonfire, to scare
away possible tigers or other noxious creatures — a precaution by
no means unnecessary, as a night adventure in the forest is not
desirable in reality, however thrilling to remember. Jly host
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
liiul told me liow one night, returning tliioiigli this jungle on an
elephant, an old rogue elephant ' had come up and joined
company, running alongside for several mil&s; his sole means of
defence being two or three boxes of lucifer matches, which he
struck at intervals, and which puzzled the old fellow, who finally
made off. We had heard of another traveller whose bearers
suddenly dropped him, shouting “ Tiger ! tiger ! ” and took to
their heels. He too was defenceless, so he did the only thing he
could. He closed both doors of his doolie — a thin j>rotection
indeed against the tiger’s mighty paw. It proved efficacious
however, for when the great beautiful creature came up, and
found only a canvas-covered Ik)x, she did not quite know what
to make of it, so after snuffing round it for some time, and
rolling it clean over and over, once or twice, she trotted back
into the jungle, and wa.s no more heanl of.
It is not, however, always that these night alarms end so
satisffictorily. One friend of ours had a very awful adventure
on her night march from Xvuee Tal, accompanied only by her
English maid. She had been asleep and awoke suddenly to
find her doolie on the ground, and a great blaze of light all
round her. Her maid stoo<l by, and told her there was an
alarm of w'ild elephants. Springing up, she saw that her
c<K)lies were encircling her with a ring of bonfires, while in the
darkness beyond slie could ju.st discern the grey forms of a
troop of these great wild creatures. A few jiaces farther was
another doolie, which had likewise been stopjied by the same
alarm. Its occui)ant, a gentleman, was standing by, in a state
of great agitation, hohling in his hand a revolver, which he
occasionally tired vaguely towards the beasts, to scare them.
So tremulous, however, was his hand, and so uncertain his aim,
that jwinting his revolver full at the unhappy maid, he shot her
dead, the bullet wimling the face of the lady. In the horror of
the moment all crowded round the btxly of the poor girl, quite
forgetting the fires ; whereupon the elephants watching their
opportunity, maile a grand charge, and utterly routed the
intruders. Away ntshed everjmne, belter skelter into the
forest. Happily for the lady she tumbled into a hole, and there
lay (juietly concealed till some hours afterwards, when, with
' A sulilary olil male ili-|iliniit, who Imi Iicisi «x]>cHcil rroro the herd, invnrUlily
fiino.
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3i7
returning tluylight, tlie elephants retreated; and her coolies
coming to search for her, they once more i-esiiined their dreary
inarch, carrying with them the body of the poor girl.
I am thankful to say we had no adventure of any sort, but
full leisure to see how pieture.S(iue the.se night finis were in the
dark fore.st ; with the groups of coolies scjuatting round, and the
tall pink grasses and snmbi'e foliage overhead, with openings
here and there through which the glittering stars looked down.
We reached Dehnv in the morning, and gave fidl account of
our pleasant gipsying. Then, having re.stored my pretty com-
jianion to her parents, and taken one last general hnik at l>eau-
tiful Debra, 1 re.sumed my soutliward loute, to rejoin my own
jieoplo on their i-eturn from Lidiore. One more night of tra-
velling, jiartly by (/hnrri/, partly by doolie, alone with the
wild-looking (but in truth patient and gentle) lirownies, and
then once more a return to railways and highly developed
civilization.
I was then sorely tempted by several ]dea.sant invitations to
Nynee Tal; another favourite hill station, and one which pos-
sesses a great advantage over its rivals in the beautiful lake,
whose pleasure-boats of all sorts lend a very unwonted charm
to Himalayan scenery, where any piece of water larger than
the tank of the temples is rare indeed — so rare, that 1 for one
never saw even a pond. So this blue lake is thought very
precious and very lovely indeed by the dwellers in Nynee Tal,
whose countless pretty bungalows, perched on the steep wooded
shores, haik down on those placid waters through tangled mazes
of scarlet rhododendron and oak, each branch of which is
matted with rich brown mosses, a soft bed for lu.vuriant ferns
of ever}' species.
Only the liouses on the highest levels, however, can catch a
glimpse of the snowy range, the grandest view of which is to
be had from Almorah, a station somewhat further in the hills,
now chiefly noted as a tea-growing district; this is the village
which Bishop lleber said reminded him of Chester — one long
wide street, paved with slabs of slate and closed at either end
by a gate. One half of the street Iwing on higher ground than
the other half, the ascent is made by a low flight of steps, up
which the hill ponies walk, as easily ns the Maltese donkeys
do up the streets of stairs. The houses have wooden veiandahs.
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328 FROM THE HEBRIDES, ETC.
ill some cases richly carved. At one end of this long street is
an old Ghoorka Fort (for Alinorali is near tlie Ghoorka frontier),
at the other is a modern English fortification.
Tantalizing as was the thought of a visit to Nynee Tal, I was *’
still more sorely tempted southward by Darjeeling, perhaps the
most beautiful of all the hill stations ; also in the Himalayas,
though fully 800 miles from Simla, and much nearer Calcutta.
And after Darjeeling, a winter among innumerable quaint native
cities; and then such a summer in Kashmeie as would have
been a niemorj' of delight for ever. And from Kashmere, a
rapid run to Southern India, and a second winter spent in
exploring its wonderful temples, such temples as are nowhere
to be seen in Bengal ! In short, there seemed no particular
reason for not gliding on for years in one unvarying summer,
and ever passing from one new beauty to another.
However we just drifted along as usual, and so it came to
pass that a very few days after we had paid our homage to the
Ganges at its source, we awoke to find oiu-selves within sight
of the same broad river nearly a thou.sand miles farther down
the country at the holy city of Benares.
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HFNARM.
CHAPTER XI,
BENARES.
From Hardwar to Benares ! No words can convey to any
western mind the concentrated e.ssence of^sanctity conferred on
the Hindu pilgrim by rnsiting Hit • two most holy cities. Such
a pilgrimage would in bygone days have involved many
weeks of slow and painful progress, with hardships and diffi-
culties on ever)' hand; and many a pious Hindu has lived and
died without Ijeing able to accomplish an act which would have
loaded him with merit.
Now the swift railway ha,s so simplified the busine.ss that in
less than a week he can slip easily from one to the other ; ami,
having worahipped the clear transparent waters of the beautiful
Ganga at her source, can, a very few dats later, catch his first
glimpse of the wonderful city ol ^va, with its thousand domes
and pyramids glittering in the early light, while the yellow rays
of the rising sun lend a halo and a charm to the broad stream,
though its waters are now turbid and foul, polluted by the filth
of myriad w’orshippei's.
At this spot the river sweeps in a stately curve, its banks on
one side rising abruptly, so tliat the city rises from its waters in
the form of a crescent, facing the east ; and the morning sun
lights up each beautiful line of its strange architecture. The
opposite shore of the river is fiat and bare, for though the
worehippers of Vishnu did in olden times attempt to build on
the right bank a city which should rival that of Siva, their
attempt failed, and the trium^ihant inhabitants of the ancient
Kasi mocked at their ambition, declaring that whoever died
in the new city of Vyas-Kasi would certainly be metamor-
jihoscd into an ass, than which no greater depth of degradation
could be conceived. This threat had its weight. The city was
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
forsaken, and only a few pictiiresfiue ruins near Ilamnur^'ur
mark its site. Here tlie Maliarajali of Benares has lus luxu-
rious palace, but no rajah in his senses would risk transmij^rafioii
into the body of an ass ; so when his last hour approaches,
he is cairied across the river that he may die in the sacred city,
and so secure a certain and direct passjmrt into heaven.
The name of Benares is derived from the rivere Barana and
Asi, which How into the Ganges on either side of it. This name,
however, has only been adopted for the hist five hundred years,
or thereabouts. Probably it was given when the worshippers
of .Siva rebuilt the city after tlieir expulsion of tlie Buddhist.s.
The original city' of Ka.si is said to have been coeval with
Baby lon and Xineveli, when it was the chief centre of Hindu
learning, and great and wise men flocked to it. Its earliest fume
was in the days of the Big Veda, when faith was jmre and
monotheistic. At that time we are told tliat temples and places
of public worsliip were unknown in India. In tlie course of
ages, however, when men had learnt to worship many gods, and
to multiply temiiles and holy Jilaces, Kasi became not merely
the wisest, but also the most sacred city in the land, flence
when Buddlia desired to spread his new faith, he selected Kasi
as the most fit city wherein to “turn the wheel of the law.”
At tliat time there were 700 schools and colleges in the city ;
the wealthiest merchants dwelt here, and great nobles and
warriors assembled at all festivals in vast throngs. Treasures of
all sorts were stored in the town, and the streets glittered with
tlie gold and precious raiment of the people.
Where the ruins of the modern fort now stand there was
then a strong Hindu citadel, commanding the junction of the
rivers Barana and Ganges. Ifere especially the men-at-arms
a.ssembled in force, armed with sfiears and scimitai's, and iron-
bound clubs; while the turrets were defended by’ archers whose
arrows were six feet in length. Chariots of war, and elejihants
whose tusks were armed with sabres, were among the locomotive
ilefences of the city.
When the faith of Buddha overspread the city his tcmides
and monasteries grew up on every side. Of the hitter upwanls
of thirty are known to have existed. When the reaction came
and the sect of Jains sprang uji, who sought to amalgamate both
faiths, a third set of temple.s arose, and the city' la'came one
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 3;tl
great clu-ster of domes, pyramids, and pinnacles. Then came the
invasion of the iloslem hordes, who, sweeping down from beyond
the Indus, carried fire and sword wlierever they went ; and, seek-
ing to destroy all idolatrous worship, razed to the ground a
vast multitude of uidioly places, without respect to their beauty,
and built in their places mosques and minarets.
Once more, however, the Hindu faith ventured to lift its
head, and once more did Benares become a City of Temples;
numbering fd'teen hundred spires and ])yramids. Yet again must
Islam assert itself, and the great Emperor Aurungzebe over-
tlirew so many of these, that the soil of the city is said to Ihj
raised to a very considerable height by their ruins. Then, on
the highe.st and most ceuti-al point in tliecity, he built the grand
mosque that beare his name ; which, placed on the verge of a
steep cliff, rises sheer from the river, to the height of 225 feet,
r)vertopping all other buildings. No wonder his Hindu subjects
hated him. Since his day a new supply of modern temples
has arisen, and upwards of a thousand now' grace the city,
while every garden, and tree lias its own especial idols
besides.
Tims we see that every jdiase of faith ha.s here reigned by turns,
and even now, though the Brahmins would fain make it appear
that Siva, alias Mahad<?o, alias Bisewata, is the god of tlie city,
multitudes of others are worshipped ; and every sect of which
Hinduism is capable has here found a home.
Neverthele.ss the successive waves of conflicting faiths that
have swejit over Benares have destroyed ever}' magnificent
ancient temple, such as still remain intact in southern India.
Nowhere need you hope to find any beauty of architecture that
can strike home to the heart, and irresistibly claim reverent
homage for its sheer loveliness, as in tlie Mohammedan buildings
of Agra, still less any that can compare with the grey aisles of
our own glorious, old Cathedrals. For quaintly beautiful as are
many of the great mosques and temples of India, e.specially in
matters of detail, I doubt if througliout the length and breadth
of Hindustan there exists one building that could bear com-
jiarison with Canterbury or Westminster, even were such com-
jiarison jK)ssible. Very few of the temples ikjw standing in
Benares date farther back than two or three hundred years, and
of these few ate individually striking. Vet collectively they
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332 FROM THE HEBRIDES
produce such infinite variety of effect as la'C-onies |)ositively
bewildering.
Of the thousand temples which now exist in the city the
greater number are clustered along the river bank. Some are of
elaborately carved stone ; some are painted, some are gilded, all
have glittering gilt spires. Behind these rise Fakeers’ houses,
with overhanging balconies, and rich gardens, with stately trees
laden with scented blo.ssoms. From the midst of these peep the
glittering cupolas of some private oratory, for not here oidy, but
througho>it the country almost every wealthy Hindu has liis
own ])rivate Uunple where the “ tame Ia;vite ” of the family
attends to his spiritual interests. Most rich .Mohammedans also
have their own little niasque. Along the brink of the broad
river are terraced (fhiuts, where, beneath huge gmss umbrellas
like enormous fungi, devotees rest all day in contemplation,
while myriads of peojile come down to bathe.
The Brahmins teach that tlie world ever since the Creation has
rested on the thousand heads of the serpent Ananta (eternity)
and will eventually be destroyed. But the ancient city of Ka.si
the Magnificent, now known as Benares, rests securely on the
three points of the trident of the terrible Siva, or as he is gene-
mlly called, Mahadfo, the great god, who.se especial care it is ;
therefore it is that all who die within its walls are for ever
blessed. Siva him.self built this wondrous city, with streets of
])urest gold, and temples of priceless gems, and although, by
reason of sin in the beholder, all may seem to be but common
stone, the faithful Hindu well knows that it is because his own
eyes are blinded, and that, could he attain to perfect purity, he
would indeed see this glorious city as it is. This is actually
believed by multitudes who come from the far ends of the land
to make the “ panch cossf" or five miles’ pilgrimage round the
city ; a sun-wise turn, wliich may nowhere exceed a distance of
five miles from given points.
The firotection of Siva is no mere fiction. There have indeed
lieen times when, to punish the sins of the people, he has
suffered their enemies to desolate his own sacred city; neverthe-
less in many ways liis favour is apparent. All natural powers
are propitious to the Holy City. From remotest ages, no eurth-
([Uakc has ever been known within the sacred circuit of five
miles, though the country around ha.s been devastated. This of
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itself would he firoof })0.sitive, if such were neeiled, of its isolation
from the rest of the eartli. Tliou<j:h innumemble crocodiles bask
on the sandbanks, or lurk in the reedy sliallows, not one has
ever been known to liurt any of the niyriatl bathers, however
nisldy tliey might plunge into the stream.* Hurricanes and
tempests devastated other six)ts, while calm and peace enfolded
tlie loved abode of the gods. Here, too, the rains invariably fall
moderately, while the neiglibouring districts are either deluged
or parched with long drought.
Tliis (piestion of " the rains " and the consequent rise and fall
of all Indian riveis, is a matter of very great moment to towns
or villages situate<l, iis is Benares, on the very brink of the flood.
For tlie rise of one year gives the very smallest possible clue to
what tliat of tlie ne.\t may be. It dejxmds of course on the in-
tensity of the summer rains. The.se begin in the mountains
alxmt the end of May ; thus the inundations by the rivers
begin fully a month before the rains set in on the plains. By
' It sceniii. however, that Siva on a nvent occasion proved himself a careless
guardian of the city. IVrhaps he was asleep when that .savage tiger stole into the
city, and wounded a dozen of his worshippers. Here is the story, as related hy
the Indian papers : —
Tir.r.B Ilr.s'T l.v the SritEETa or IlENARKa.— On Monday, December 18th,
1871, Mr. M ‘Mullin, a-ssistniit s>iperintendent of police at Ihuiares, was surprised
at being tolil that some wild Iwast during the night hail seriously wounded several
jH’Oplc in the city. He was further told that the animal was then sitting in a
dark recess on the top of some stejis. Going to the .sjmt, he could plainly see two
eyes glaring in the darkness. Taking a musket from one of the police, he fired,
when, with a fearful roar, a huge tiger boundinl from the recess and rushed down
the steps. Fortunately, Mr. M'Mullin had hit him in the fore ai-m, and the tiger
fell into a hole. A (loliceuian then fired at him, hnt missed, and the tiger, re-
covering himsfdf, sprang on the policeman, mauling him severely. A large
rrowd was now gathered rounil, and a scene of the utmost confusion ensuc<l.
The tiger hoiindeil furiousiy sliont, wounding [reople on all si<lcs. Files of
|sdieeinen now marehed np with londe<l muskets, but, unfortunately, the police
were not provided with cajw, ami had to lieat a retreat. Mr. M'Mullin rode
off to enntoimienta to obtain assistance ; lie returned with some officers, and the
tiger was brought to hay in a place inclosed with walls near the Raj Mandil. A
well-directed volley from a niiiiiher of guns at length laid low the noble animal,
who was game to the last. Altogether he hail wounded twelve people, one of
whom is not espected to recover. No one can tell where tlie tiger came from, but
it seems probable that he had come from the Maharajah’s preserves at Chueken,
crossing the Ganges at Raj Ghaut hy the bridge of boats during the night. The
natives are in a state of great excitement, there being a tradition that when tigers
eat people in the streets of Benares then the day of tribulation will have come. —
PiuMcr.
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the end of July the lower flats of Bengal are f!<xalal in all tlirec*
tiona, and continue till the eml of August to present the appear-
ance of large lakes, sometimes extending over many miles, and
dotte<l with villages like islands. Early in J^ptemWr the waters
gradually begin to .subside, the sun’s scorching rays making
evaporation rapid, and leaving a tliiek deposit of rich .soil.
Throughout the winter months the rainfall is nil, so that the rivers
shrink into mere streams: their size is tlius as varietl as their
course, which is remarkably vague.
Our thorough enjoyment of our visit to Benares was greatly
due to the kindness of liajah Sir Deo Naraien Singh, one of the
kindest and most courteous gentlemen I have ever had the
pleasure of meeting. Tliere was something alxiut him that
always reminded me of a courtly Archbishop, in fact his l)ene-
volent countenance greatly resembled that of Pio Nono. It was
with very great sorrow- that shortly after our return to Englaixl
we receive*! letters from his son announcing the sudden death of
the kind old man. He had received his well-earned knighthoo*!,
and the Star of India, for veiy great service done to the English
during the mutiny, where, to his go^al influence lioth with the
Jlaharajah and all the people, it was due, that in this hotbed of
fanaticism there was no outbreak whatsoever. Yet at that time
there were in the whole Province of Benares onlv' twenty-five
artillerymen and sixt}- invaliils to represent European soldiers,
all the other troops l)eing native regiments; while the population
of the district is three times that of all Scotland. Amongst
many other steps taken to secure peace, and to inspire con-
fidence, Sir Deo quitted liis own palace, and actually lived
with the English Ke.sident during the worst time of trouble and
anxiety.
Throughout his long and useful life Sir Deo has always shown
the same unvaiying kindness to all English ; and a letter having
been forwarrled recommending us to his care, called forth such
genuine and cordial hospitality as is not often acconied even to
old friends. For so long as we chose to remain in Benares an
Engli.«h open carriage was placerl at our disposal, with two,
sometimes three, relays of excellent horses. A large houseboat
on the river, fully manned, was always at our service from
dawn till night. Also an elephant and (ovjainvs (portable arm-
chairs) should we go into the city. Two of his own confidential
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sen'anta had ordera always to Iw in attendance to make every
possible arnin^;eineiit for our comfort, and to show us everything;
and very needful we found their presence, for the priests and
riotous lieggars of Ilenares proved a very different lot to our
l>eaceful friends at Hardwar.
Our first impression of Benares was literally of Pandemonium
let loose. Some great feast was going on, and heathendom was
in triumphant riot. Houses and temples were hung with gay
stuffs, and in the streets a suiging sea of human life swayed to
and fro, with shouts and screams and hubbub, such as only
an easteni crowd am jiroduce. They pressed on from one
.shrine to another with deafening shouts, blowing horns and
conches, and ringing bells, and reiterating the pmises of their
go<ls ;■ .some in holiday garb, others travel-stained, having assem-
bled from all cpiarters of the empire. Every tribe and every
trade were there present, with the distinctive marks of their
kingdom and their calling.
If you have read Miss Emily Eden’s “ Up Cmintry" you will
know e.vactly what we did and what we saw, for we followed in
the very same ixuind that she tocik more than forty years ago,
and with, I suppose, sc-ai'cely a change. Like her, where the
streets were broa<l we drove ; where they narrowed we mounted
the elephant. Where he could not pa.ss we got into the tonjauns,
and where they fairly stuck we got out and walked, changing
backwards and forwards incessantly at the bidding of the Rajah’s
tnisty servants. One advantage of the elephant was that it
raised us to the level of the u]iper windows, and so from time to
time we caught glimpses of bright eyes and jewelled dames
peeping out from w ithiu their curtained window's.
First we drove rajudly to the Doorga Khoond, or Mirror of
Dooiga, the chief temple of that amiable goddess — the guaii-lian
angel of the city. 1 have already told you what a bloodthirsty
fiend she i.s, and how her temples always reek with blood of
goats and buffaloes which are sacrificed at her altars. Of course
a bidlock must in no ca.se be jmt to death, therefore the buffalo
is a convenient substitute. Before her shrine, which is always
heaped up with golden marigolds and other flowers, stands a
stone obelisk surmounted by a dragon. At the foot of this lies
a huge sacrificial sword, wherewith are slain victims innumerable
to appease the rage of the insatiable goddess. .She is generally
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33 <!
mipiM)se<l to come ami eat their Ixxiies, but it is whispered that
the city butcliers come by nieht to buy them from the priests,
and then ndail them to tlie vulgar public. So it may chance
that the Kuropean jK>pulatiou eat their full share of things
ofhireil U) iilols.
'J'his temple of Doorga is veiy fine, being of elaborately carved
red sandstone. Hound the great tank (her mirror) are some old
trees, which are literally alive with monkeys. This one temple
supports live hundred of these ludicrous creatures. An old
juiest called them down for our amusement, when they scam-
jKtrcd up to us in a jierfect mob, and the attendant satellites of
the tiunple .showered grain among them, for which they all, from
the hoary grandfather to the infant in arms, scrambled in most
undignified style. Then, swinging themselves up by post and
l)illar, they jH-rched on every carved nook of the temple,
swarming to the topmost peak or swinging themselves up the
tall tree.s.
We then went on from one temple to another, sometimes
jia.ssing down streets so narrow that we could well-nigh touch
both sitles at once ; between tall houses, like those in the old
town of Kdinburgh, six or seven storeys or more, with projecting
windows, and balconies actually meeting overhead, so that the
narrow street seemed aivlied with flying bridges, and just show-
ing naiTow peeps of bright blue sky. Houses with carved
pillars; sometimes with projecting verandahs of rich brown
wood, casting dark shadows, and sculptures of mythology on the
walls. Most of thc.se open into small courts, whence low doors
lead into dark cool room.s. The.se low rooms are favourite
quarters in the daytime, ns they lie in cool, deep shadow, while
the top storeys catch all the hot sun. But at night these have
the benefit of the clear, cold starlight, while the street below is
comparatively hot and stuffy.
Among the most magnificent, though by no means most
popular, temples are those of Ganesa, the subtle god of wisdom.
He is alw'ays represented with human figure sitting cross-legged,
and having many arms. He ha.s, moreover, the head and trunk
of an elephant, tliat wise old beast whose sagacity afforded a
ready type of wisdom. The story, however, told concerning him
is that he was originally bom with a human head, but having
lost his own in a fight, his mother vow'ed to supply him with the
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head of the first living creature she met. Tliis proved to be an
elepliant, and her son happily inherited the wisdom of the
elephantine brain. In some of his temples each pillar represents
the leg of an elephant, while the capitals are monstrous elephan-
tine heads.
Formerly a multitude of female infants were sacrificed to
Ganesa ; not a bad speculation, as daughters were expensive to
dower, and the pious offering received its due reward, as the tiny
life thus consecrated was sure to be eventually returned in the
birth of a son, a far more accephible article. These sacrifices
in the temples were very horrible scenes, and moreover very
expensive to the parents, as the priests claimed heavy fees for
butchering the poor babies ; consequently the majority of people
found it cheaper, and quite as etlicaciou.s, to dip the little
innocents into cauldrons of boiling milk.
We passed on and on, through streets and through bazaars,
past shops for the sale of all eastern goods : vessels of
brass, sweetmeats, raiment, toys innumerable ; fruit merchants
selling cocoa-nuts, guavas, plantains, pomegranates, pumeioes or
shaddocks, loquals, limes, custard-apples, pine-apples, bringah,
which are a common vegetable shaped like an egg, all manner
of good things ; and here and there stalked some tall adjutant,
or a great, white, Brahminee kite, seeking what it might
devour, without the smallest regard for the ever-moving, noisy
throng, which passed before the eye in a confused jumble of
bright colours and glittering jewels, and clear brown skins of
divers shades.
Chiefly we were struck by the immense multitude of white-
robed priests, and we were told that the Brahmins alone own
8,000 horses. It seems that begging holds a conspicuous place
among tlieir religious duties, and this, at least, is one which they
fulfil con amore. Not only the Brahmins, but all the Yogies, or
Fakeers, and the vast swarm of idlere who always haunt
every temple, beg lustily, as though demanding a right, and
make the life of all visitors a burden to them. It required all
the influence of the Rajah’s trusty servants to steer us safely
through the haunts of these rapacious harpies. As to the
Hindus, they consider it an inestimable privilege to be allowed
to atlminister to the necessities of these holy men. They, in
their turn, are charitable enough : and are said to administer
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ti3H FROM THE HEBRIDES
lli<) fumlH of tlic Ujinplefl with wisdom, these l«ing generally
»'iiil()w«sd l»y wealtliy Hindus for the relief of weary, warworn
wiindercrs, when, as is too often the case, sickness and misery
overwhelm them.
I n several temples we saw canned marble bulls, like those at
Hardwar, and multitudes of the real animal walking quietly
about lh(! 8tre<"t, among all the j)eople, Ijeautiful white creatures,
U(l(»rned with garlands of flowers, and having the trident of
,Siva stamped on their hind-rpiarters. They went calmly aliont
the ba/aar, eating whatriver they fancied, for none diire contra-
dict them ; so one moment their noses were in some merchant’s
<'herishe<l sacks of grain, the next they would begin snuffing the
garland of stnne white rob(>d worshipper, who would straightway
take it oil' and present it to this living representative of his god.
'I'lius the sacred roblaws e.xact what blackmail they please,
while the luckless ownei-s look on in reverential awe. The
l’rahmiiic(> bull is generally rather small, with the hump
betwee-n the shoulders strongly developed.
We went into one huge temple where the open court was full
of brilliant jieacocks, while the siile aisles, if I may so call them,
w«!re dividisl into stalls for sacred cows. Tlieir sanctity seems
to liavt! originateil in some ]day upon the words meaning erne
and farth, whence they came to l>e reverenced as representatives
of the earth-goildess. In the mythology of Scandinavia the
chariot of the same Ixmeficent earth-mother is drawn by cows.
In the centre of the court Wiis an image of Durga, litertdly
burieil beneath the fresh, beautiful flowers that had lieen heajwd
u|Kin it. I could not, however, venture on a very close in.spec-
t ion, ns 1 had left the rest of the jKiiiy in the “ ecclesia.stical
bazaar,” and nothing wouM induce my Mohamniedau body-
guard to cross the threshold of this idolatrous temple.
So I very quickly riyoined the others, in a bazaar whose con-
tents were wholly brazen vessels for the use of the temples.
These stalls were most tempting curiosity' shops. Apart lixiui
every species of idol, great and small, in which we were not
anxious to invest, there were such endless varieties of beauti-
fully engraven bnrss lotas, or pots, brass plates inlaid with other
metals or of some silvery material, curious incense-burners, such
as quaint figures supporting lamps, odd spoons, silvery boxes
for betel-nuts — in short, all kinds of delightful curiosities, such
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339
as old Iiidinii.s never tliink it worth while to bring home,
but which are really far more characteristic than the regular
set of orthodox Indian treasures wliich are so familiar to
us all
This bazaar is in the outer court of the Great Golden Temple,
which the natives prize alx>ve all others. One dome, and all the
pinnacles are gUt, and glitter in the sun. There is a large group
of domes and pyramids ; some red, some grey, and overshadowetl
by sacred jieepul trees. The streets and bazaars come so close
round it that it is difficult to get a good, at least a sketchable,
view of it. My watch-dog took me to an upper balcony of a
house opposite, whence we could look into the court of the
temple, and down on the throng of worshippers, mostly clad
in white, and adorned with huge necklaces of great African
marigolds. The balcony was full of men playing on every
species of discordant bra.ss instruments and shells, and we were
nearly deafened, both by them, and by the insatiable and
clamorous crowd of priests and beggars. This certainly was
the vilest nest of ortho<lox Hinduism we had ever seen, and
went far to efface the memory of its calmer aspect in peaceful
Hardwar, beside the pure river. Here, eveiytliing seemed as
foul as the sullied waters.
Beneath the golden dome we saw sacrificial fires burning, and
devotees leaping through the flames in honour of Mahaddo, the
great god. This was formerly a common custom throughout the
country, just ns it was in Britain, and wherever Baal-worship
prevailed, but has been discouraged by the Government, along
with other dangerous practices, such ns the Chunik Poojnh, or
Swing Worship, wdiich is now illegal, though still occasionally
practisetl. We chanced to see it once, and a very disgusting ex-
hibition it was, the wretched devotee inducing the Bralnnins to
]>ass great iron hooks through the muscles below the shoulder.
He was then somehow raised to a sort of may-pole, and swung
violently in a circle m mid-air. The whole weight seemed sus-
tained by those muscles. This agonizing torture was supposed
to be so pleasing to the cruel godde.ss Kali that her votaries
used constantly to undergo it, and a very few years ago there
were still hundreds of these swinging-posts always at work in
Bengal. There were scores in the immediate neighbourhood of
Calcutta, some even in its streets. 1 think that in their secret
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a40
hearts tlie peojile must hless the foreign rule, which takes on
itself the responsihility of prf)hihiting such horrore.
Tlie priests |K>int to the great golden dome, and tell you it is
overlaid with thick jdates of pure gold, which were an offering
from Kuiijeet Singh to the great god Bisewara (Siva). The gi;>ld,
however, has long since been removed, and common gilding is all
that now glitters in the sun, and the great golden chain by which
the lamii was once 8us[)eude«l above the altar is now replaced by
(jne of (.‘oinmonest brass. Nevertheless, worshipjjers assemble
in viist crowds to throng these courts, more especially at the
time of any eclii»se of the sun or moon, when the altars are more
than ever loaded with flowers and sweetmeats. For Bisewara
loves these, and shows a just appreciation of sugar-plums,
cluing, ladel, ami such like. Day hy day he is duly washed
with water from the holy Ganges, and dressed with all solemnity,
and at night he is laid away safely wrapfied up in his summer
or winter raiment, as the case may Ikj, either a light shawl or a
rich warm limeade.
llanl by is the temple of his one wife, Unna Poorna, variously
named PiVrvutl, Kali, and Durga, a veiled goddess, whose face
was not displayed to us heretics. True believers declare her to
he of marble, with a variety of masks and faces of gold and
silver changeable at pleasure, which perhaps accounts for Siva
iK'iiig content to have hut one fair minister, instead of the
eastern allowance.
A beautiful marble well, ^vith canopy of rich call ing, is espe-
cially sacred to her, and here devout offerings are thrown, of all
manner of food, of which it is supposed she eats what she
retiuires, and gives the remainder to the poor, so everything is
thmwn in (piite promiscuously — milk, flour, cakes, fruit, flowers
— and the result is, as you may suppose, a honilile mass of pu-
trescence, sickening to approach, and one which loads the air
with the seetls of ]>estilence. Our Mohammedan friend looked
on with an expre.ssion of unuttemble loathing, and e.xclaimed,
" Well ! 1 am thankful my Allah does not eat and drink ! ” A
small Iniy pressed forwanl to give us infonnation, in excellent
English. " That,” he said, “ is the well into which god jumpetl
referring to some strange mythological tale.
Still we went on and on, through wide streets and narrow
streets, among big gods and little gods, meeting at every glance
TO THE HIMALAYAS.
341
some image or symbol to remiiul us tliat in truth this is a city
“ wliolly given to iilolatry.” Whercver we turned there was the
same noisy throng of worshippers, the same insatiable and
clamorous crowd of jiriests and beggars, all covered with garlands
of flowers, all howling for hackshtesh, and many playing on
horrible musical instruments.
It was with unsiieakable relief that we at length found our-
selves at the entrance to Aurungzelje’s Grand Mosque, with its
tall minarets cleaving the sa]>phire sky, like fingera jsiinting
heavenward. It was Friday, and the hour of prayer, and the
great court was full of solemn, silent worshippers. Everything
about both moscpie and i>eople was of dazzling cleanliness, and
all so orderly, everj' man kneeling on his own square of the
marble pavement. Eveiwtbing hushed and still, and the broad
blue sky spread overhead like a canojiy <if sunshine. It wa.s a
very solemn anil imj)ressive scene, all the more so in contrast
with the wild devil-worship that was going on in all the rest of
the city.
We felt deep .sympathy with Aurungzebe, though we could
not wonder at the hatred with which the Hindus behold this
stately building, which to them must be a jiei-petual eyesore,
overtojiping all else in the city of their many gods. It is said
he selected this site on jiuiqio.se to humble their fanaticism, ami
that he destroyed one of their most sacred temples that he might
use its materials to build this lieautiful mo.s(]ue, from whose
lofty minarets his hated soldiers were wont to look down on the
Hindu bathers, to their intense annoyance.
We a.scended to the top of one of the minarets, whence we
commanded a magnificent view of the city, the river, all the
temples, and the general lie of the land. Hut aliove all, our
eyes were riveted by a heap of nondescrijit ruins, lying about
three miles north of Henares, for there we knew lay all that
remained of the once mighty city, Saniath, a city which was to
the Buddhists all that Benares is to the Brahmins. Here, in the
days of its glory, were thirty great monasteries, iidiabited by
three thousand monks. There were also eight “ I liviiie Towers.”
one of which is stated to have been three hundred feet high, and
adonied with most precious jewels. Amongst the innumerable
statues of Buddha which adorned the city at everj" turn was
one great cojipcr image, representing him as the teacher in the
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act of turning the wheel of the law. In this city Bmldha was
worshippe<l for upwarvls of a thousand years, after the Brahmins
had driven his followers out of Benares. So the two great
strongholds of the rival faitlis flourished for many centuries
within sight one of anotlier.
At length the Brahmins seem to have been goaded out of all
their usual theories of toleration, and falling stiddenly on their
unsusf)ecting neighltours, sacked and burned the monasteries,
overthrew the collq'es, and reduced the city to ashes, while such
of the terror-stricken inhabitants as escapetl the sword fled for
their lives. So sudden was their flight, that they left their brejid
half-baked in their little mud ovens, and there it was found in
vety recent years, burietl beneath the general pile of ruins that
the fire had in some me^isure spared. Amongst these were
numerous statues of Buddha and other images, and elaborately
carved stones, but so little value was set on these precious relics
of antiquity that they were carted away whole.sale, and cast
into the river Barana to serve as a breakwater to the piers of
the bridge !
The multitude of cars'ed stones of unmistakably Buddhist
origin, which are built into so many Brahtnin hou.ses at Benares,
tell their own tale. Tliere are capitals carveil with lotus-leaves,
shafts of pillars, and more es{>ecially bniken umbrellas of stone,
just like great mushrttoms, which were once the most sacred
symbol of Buddha’s sovereignty. The great round tower, the
ruins of which are so conspicuous even as seen from our jost on
the minaret, was one hundred and ten feet in height, and ninety-
three feet in diameter, its top Ixdng of ancient brickwork. This,
until a very fetv years ago, was ca.sed with finest stonework, all
carved with lotus- leaves and blossoms, with figures .seated therein,
comtemplative Buddhas floating on still waters. Now the carveil
stones have l)een removed, and there remains little more than iiii
unsightly heaj) of rubble.
Descending from our high post of observation our ne.vt halt
was at a private house Itelonging to Maun Singh, where a great
terrace of stonework acts the part of an astronomical observatory,
or Man Mandil as it is called — Man meaning measurement, and
Mandil the Gloljc. On the tcirace are built all manner of huge
sundials and other a.stronomical instruments, of solid masonrv';
contrivances for finding out the declinations of stars, the mcridi-
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343
onal line, and other things, also an enornions gnomon, globe, and
huge stone buildings like giants’ jdaythings, just like tluwe we
saw in the great rains of the obser\'atory at Delhi. All these
things were elalx)rately e.xplained to us by a very scientillc old
Hindu, who, in tlie abstruseness of his calculations, had quite for-
gotten his raiment ! This old man is a very important j^erson
in Benares, as is the astronomer or astrologer in every community
of Brahmins, for no Hindu will do anything important without
consulting the stars,and a regular astrological almanac is published
for the convenience of such as cannot conveniently go in person
to the astrologer, a process which is at once simpler and more
economical. Tliere were formerly some great instniments of
brass belonging to this obseiwatory, but these were removed, and
are still preseived by tlie Hindu Princes of Eajpootana.
Once more we plunged into the mazes of the city, into the noisy
thronged streets, with tlieir quaint architecture, their intense lights
and shadows, tlieir brilliantly coloured figures sprinkled here and
there, amid a crowd of which the vast majority were clad and
turbaned in dazzling white, and garlanded with Bowers, while all
the small boys, too young to wear the turban, were adorned with
brilliant skull-caps of silk, embroidered with gold and silver.
Now we turn aside into a small dark shop. Thence we
were led along dark, winding pa.ssagcs, till we reached a small
upper room, where, at the bidding of our guide, one roll after
another of pricele.ss kincoh weie spread before our admiring
gaze. Kincoh is that marvellous silk ami gold brocade for
which the looms of Benares are so justly celebrated. Brocades
of eveiy' brilliant hue, wrought with richest patterns of gold
and silver, the most gorgeous materials you can imagine.
AVhat their price per yard was we hardly paused to enquire, so
obviously were they far beyond our reach. Not that we
coveted them particularly, even as hangings, and no one but
a Begum, or a Banee, or their spouses could wear such stuHs.
Their own rich colouring hannonizes all this splendour, so that
dress and wearer are all in keeping, but the fair skin is over-
powered by it. And nowhere is the perfect Oriental taste in
colouiing shown more strikingly than in this e.xquisite manu-
facture. The one standing miracle is how these natives, who can
devise and execute such designs— so perfectly becoming to them-
selves — can ever be guilty of showing a C' ner of toleration for
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
our liidwus, western j'arb, and even occasionally of adopting it,
or i)art of it, for their own use.
W’lien at length we returned to i-est, after the bewildering
sights of the day, we found a fresh deputation of sen’auts from the
dear old Itajah, l)cnring trays of the most delicious sweetmeats,
and fruits of all sorts. Various tradesnieii soon scented us out,
and brought us huge baskets of llenares toys, all carved in
coloured wood highly polished ; Ijoxes of every sort, with dozens
of lesser ones fitting into one another, and all sorts of ingenious
playthings. We invested in a great number, and still further in-
ereased our store of brass curiosities, though one man grinned from
tstr to ear when 1 lemarked that we only wanted genuine Benares
work, and that he need not lake the trouble to show us Binuing-
hum gooils. 1 strongly suspect that every little idol in his
biiskid was j)ure “ Brummagem,” and not without good reason,
for it is currently reported that Birmingham e.\ports an im-
mensely huge pro[iortion of the idols of Hindustan, and finds
them a very protitable speculation.
All that night one, never-ceasing, whirl of native carriages
jingled past our door, chiefly little ekkas, those picturesque
one-hoi-se vehicles, with hoods sujqmrted by four posts, the
funniest little machines, utterly unlike anything in Eurojie.
'I’hey were all eraiiiined with natives, men and women, in their
very brightest apparel, and all chattering and laughing. It was
a clear moonlight, and we would fain have followed them, for
they were lK)Uud for a great native festival, when the town
would be illuminated, and would doubtless have been most
liicture.sijue. But our watch-dogs, the Kajah’s servants, were
greatly scandalized by the proposition, ns they vowed the fair
was by no means respectable. We susjiecled that they Avanted
to goon their own account, but they rejmdiated the notion Avith
iidinitc contempt, so Ave had to give uj) the sight. The principal
feature of the festival seemed to consist in pouring out liba-
tions of shrah and hhang and other iuto.xicating liipiors to
certain idols, after Avhich the night Avas spent in fast and furious
revelry. A festival, 1 suppose, like the nocturnal feast of
Bacchus, Avhen the cities AAcre illuminated in his honour, and
libations of Avine poured out to him. It must have been a
somewhat similar festival that is alluded to in the Rig Veda,
Avhen an intoxicating drink Avas made from the fenneuted
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315
juice of the moon-plant, which was either offeretl to the gotls
in ladles, like the spoons we saw in the temples, or poured out
before them on the sacred cascii grass, while clarified butter was
poured on the fire.
Our chief enjoyment of Benares certainly lay on the river,
where we spent five long, and most pleasant days, from dawn till
sunset. Each morning the Kajah’s carriage was at our door by
six o’clock, and a four miles’ drive through palmy groves brought
us to the brink of the river just as the sun’s first ray touched
the city. The house-boat was always in readiness, and then we
slowly rowed up the broad stream for several miles, past the
marvellous piles of temples, wonderful bathing-ghauts, palaces,
and buildings of every .sort which rise mass upon mass — tier
above tier, from the water’s edge right up to the broad blue sky.
Every moniing we came with fresh delight, each day revealing
some new, curious detail that had hitherto escaped our notice.
Some new spire of the thousand temples, some quaint, religious
ceremony hitherto unnoticed ; some new combination in the ever-
changing groups of temples, pinnacles, balconies, overhanging
windows in indescribable variety ; green trees telling of shady
gardens ; pigeon roosts, always a conspicuous feature in Hindu
cities ; steep flights of stairs reaching up to the blue heaven ;
broad landing-places of solid stone, never two alike, but all show-
ing the .same endless variety of detail. Along the water’s edge
are groups of huge grass umbrellas, like great mushroom-beds,
beneath whose shade squat imps that would astonish Puck him-
self; bathers and worshippers without number — thousands on
thou.sands — washing ; sprinkling holy water ; reading sacred
books ; clamouring for hinkshecsh, all in endless confusion ;
everywhere there is light, colour, motion. Tlie blue of lieaven
is reflected even by the river, now alas, little better than a filthy
sewer of many great cities, and the blue overhead and the blue
below are blended by an incessant film of bright blue smoke for
ever rising from the burning ghaut, and from the bodies of those
happy dead who have breathed their last in this city lieloved by
the gods, and whose ashes will soon be sprinkled on the sacred
river.
The great mass of the people come to bathe at sunrise, when
the ghauts are indeed a scene of womlrous animation. As usual
men and women all bathe together as a matter of course, and think
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346 FROM THE HEBRIDES
no evil thereof ; and the iLiintiest dames, who at other hours of
the day veil even their eyes from the chance glance of a stranger,
and are even carried to the river’s edge in closely curtained
(fftijating, wherein, after their l»ath, they will again take refuge
from the eyes of tlie vulgar, now stand reveide»l in the very
airiest of draj>eiy, probably only a sheet of the finest muslin
— without the slightest hesitation. It is the custom of the
laud, and no one thinks it strange. So, at every few yanls
you |:)erceive beautiful grmn»s in bnmze of most graceful l>ath-
ing iiymjihs, .such as would rejoice tlie heart of a sculptor,
and indeed these lieautiful bronzes never strike you otherwise
than as statuary, and tliat of a very high class, so that the
fainte.st idea of immodesty or indelicacy never for a moment
suggests itself. All day long the wiishing of human beings,
dead or alive, and of tlieir clothes and their vessels, goes on
unceasingly. One constant succession of new comers pour
down to the river to balhe and to pray before eating, after-
wards they take water in the palms of their hands, and hold
it up to the sun as an oH'ering, or else, filling a brass lota with
Ganges water, they jiour it out latfore him while they stand
praying. Then falling prostrate, with their forehead in the
dust, lliey worship in silence. Next, with infinite relish, they
drink a draught of tlie sacn-d water, while the men all round
are diligently washing their teeth in the most api>roved style,
standing kuee deep in the river 1 They then fill their vessels
with tlie same filthy water, which they carry home for all
household purjKises, while Fakeers in like manner start on
pilgrimage to distant parts of India to sell the sacred fluid to the
faithful for immense sums, so that the idols in the most re-
mote districts may not lack this precious anointing.
On one ghaut we saw a huge gaudily-painted image made of
Ganges mud, and lying like a modem Gulliver among his Lilli-
putian worshipiiers. Ileside him stood a little group, like a nest
of ants. One was a European, and beside him a native, evi-
dently a convert, preaching, but collecting a mere handful of
listeners, who rarely paused for two moments consecutively.
Various other idols, similarly fashioned of Ganges mud, adorn
the neighbouring steps ; and often you may see a devout
worshipper fashioning a little god for himself, of mud or of cow-
dung. To this he prays most earnestly ; then, when his prayer
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 317
is done, he chucks it into the river, as being of no further use.
Ratlier suggestive of the fate of a good many imman idols,
among worshippers of the ideal ! For if you ask any educated
Hindu whether that mud image is indeed his god, he will answer
that he worships an invisible Spirit, without reference to any
created matter, but the use of this outward symbol is a help to
coiicentiate his thought which else would wander over the vast
heaven.
Every morning we slowly rowed up the stream, keeping close
in shore, so as to have full benefit of all the picturesque life at
the ghauts, and to notice the quaint religious ceremonies of the
people ; and often I w'ished that some of our friends, with a
strong turn for Ritualism, could come and see a little of
heathendom, just to see what formalism can come to. It is
curious enough to see the little ceremonies of an ordinary
worshipper. First, he casts on the river his offering of flowers,
he then rinses his mouth with holy water, never heeding the
bloated corpse that bobs up and down in the stream close to
him, and which may have died of some hon-ibly infectious
disease. Then he prays, first on one leg, then on the other.
Next, he falls flat on his face, kissing the earth. Rising, he bows
to the four points of the compass. Then looking heavenward
raises his hands in supplication. He ne.xt pours out an ottering
of Ganges water to the sun. Perhaps he daubs his own body
with Ganges mud. He washes his turban and the cloth wrapped
round his loins, and goes on his way rejoicing.
But the simple ceremonial of the laity is nothing compared
with the quaint means adopted by the quiet, meditative Brahmins,
to stir up their own minds, and increase their jwwers of con-
centrated thought. Remember what an intellectual race these
high-caste Brahmins are, with their pure Aryan descent written
on every lineament of their clear-cut features and high foreheads.
Imagine thousands of these proud men, with little raiment
save the mystic, three-fold Brahminical cord, which to mortal
eyes is only a bit of whipcord, worn over the left shoulder and
under the right, but which is really a certificate of the highest
aristocracy for lx)th worlds. Iimigine these men sitting the
livelong day on wooden stances, or platforms, built out into the
river, where, beneath the shadow of the huge grass umbrellas,
they sit absorbed in silent contemplation, striving to intensify
i
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
tlieir devotion by a religious rite called Ilalmdam, or the reten-
tion of breatli. Tlie manner in wliicli this is pniclised is to
close one nostril with the first finger of the right hand, while
di-awing a long breath. Then, closing both nostrils, sit in silent,
concentrated thought, till well nigh suflbcated ; then, removing
the finger first uj)i>lied, breathe slowly through that nostril. It
sounils like a little joke ; but this nevertheles,s, is a most solemn
act of faith. It is sometimes practised while sitting calmly
gazing on the river; sometimes while standing on one leg, wliile
adoring the sun ; and is probably followed by a scries of rapid,
grote.stpio prostrations and muttcrings. One great practical
advantage of this mode of slow breathing is the prolongation of
life, for, as every man is fated to dniw only a given number of
breaths between his birth and his grave, it follows that the
longer he can take about it, the longer he w ill live ! The virtue
of prolonged retention of breath is furtlier e.vemplified by a man
suddenly taking a header under water, and there remaining till
you think he is certainly drowned. Not at all. He is only
trying to work out .some ah.struse, metaphy.sical train of thought,
or perhaps striving to realize to the uttermost how very great
and holy is the river goddess, ami how certainly she is even
then wa.shing away all his sins. He mu.st also strive to realize
the indwelling within his own heart and bmin of the threefold
god whom he adores ; of I’ndinia, Vishnu, and Siva, and perhaps
in these earnest asjurations after more perfect union with that
Great Unknown I’ower in Wliose luesence w itln'n himself he so
firmly believes, he may have more than we often imagine in
common with creeds which we account more orthodox.
iStrange and childish, even ridiculous, as many of their cere-
monies are in our eyes, yet to hear the.se men speak you
would .sometimes think that perhaps they are not so far from
the Kingdom of God as some might fear who glance oidy at
their myriad idols, or as they would say, symbols of faith. If
it be true that “in every nation, he thatfeaieth Gotland worketh
righteousuess, is accepted of Him,” we little know' how' far some
of these strange, earnest, anxious creatures may have outrun
many an easy-going Christian. It was one of these men, who,
speaking of his own death, said “ he knew that though his body
might die, his spirit could never do so; because, just as he who
puts off his old garments, does so only to assume better ; so he
"S
s
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. .149
who lives in God only lays aside his old body that he may put
on a new and more glorious one.” Who can say that hereafter
those who have striven to walk so faithfully by such dim light
as they have, may not be numbered amongst those “ other sheep
that are not of (his fold ? ”
That three-fold Brahminical cord of which I spoke just now is
supposed to symbolize the three incarnations of Brahma, and it
must moreover be entirely the handiwork of some parental
Brahmin, who must himself gather the cotton from the plant ;
spin and twist the mystic cord, which is the bearer’s patent of
nobility. As soon as a young Brahmin attains his ninth year,
he is inveiited therewith. His eyelids are painted. He is
adorned with a coral necklace and a new garment ; he is anointed
with oil, and made to offer solemn sacrifices to the sacred fire
and to the nine planets. Various other ceremonies and religious
rites of all sorts are observeil. All his kindred celebrate this
glad dfiy with feasting and gladness, aud the boy is henceforth
admitted to all the privileges of his high estate. No matter
how poor he may be, seiwant perhaps t<4 some rich Sudra, or
other man of low caste, it mutters not ; all other castes, his own
master included, owe him reverence as to one intrinsically holier
than themselves.
Not that all Brahmins are of equal rank. They are sub-
divided into so many classes that the highest is as far removed
from the lowest as that low'est is from the Pariali.
The old iHilief in the divine right of the Bralimins, and of
their mighty power as a vast united laxly overapreading the
whole land, has melted away on a closer examination of their
actual condition. It lots now been ascertained that, besides their
innumerable petty subdivisions, there exist in every province of
India two great classes, both bearing the name of Brahmin and
wearing the sacred thread, yet utterly despising one another ;
dwelling side by side, yet refusing all intercourse; never inter-
marrying, not eating together. Their very countenances betray
the difference, one class retaining the .strikingly handsome features
and clear, fair skins of the old Aryans, the other being dark in
colour, and .stamped with the common features of the lowest
castes. The only theorj’ by which this can be explained (for the
true solution has been jealously concealed by the Brahmins
themselves) is, that when the Aryan conquerors took possession
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
of the land, and found it impossible wholly to crush the abori-
Kinul aristocracy, they invented a compromise, so as, nominally at
least, to hold all jMiwer in their own hands; and so, just as the
old Greeks and Itomaus bestowed their name and citizenship on
such of their conquered subjects as could either purchase that
honour "with a great sum," or else obtain it as a reward of
merit, it would a{)[)car that the Brahmins, even while thoroughly
despising the aboriginal races, were driven to the expedient of
receiving certain of the more wealthy families into their own
body by giving them their name and investing them with the
sacred thread.
That this is the case is evident from the fact that the farther
south }’ou go. the lower does the type of thread-wearers become,
so that in the extreme south, as in the hill-country of Central
India, whither the alxjriginal tribes were driven, and where only
a small proportion of the fair-skinned race followed, the pure
type of Brahmin is almost unknown ; and the mystic thread is
worn by gold and silver smiths, stonecutters, carpenters, and
even blacksmiths, all of whom are, in Northern India, accounted
Sudras, that is to say, quite low caste. Passing still farther
south to Ceylon, it appears that the true Brahmin literally does
not exist, and that all who bear the name have Iteen manu-
factured fis a matter of expediency.
Of the po.ssibility of conferring tliis dignity on one not born to
it, there still exists a practical proof in the fact that the low
caste Bajahs of Travancore are to this day elevated to this high
honour on their accession to the throne ; part of the ceremony
observeil being that they must pass through the body of a golden
cow, thereby scraping off all trace of their old sinful life, and
coming forth regenerate.
But of the wholesale Brahmin manufacture of olden times we
find only dim legends telling how certain great princes, desirous
of oflering such vast sacrifices as demanded the presence of ten
thousand priests, did actually collect whole tribes of the lowest
of the ]>er)ple to the number of perhaps a hundred thousand, all
of whom were duly invested with the sacred thread. In most of
these legends, Krishna kindly appears to sanction this very
irregular proceeding. Tlie story, with a few variations, is told of
several arbitrary monarchs reigning respectively in Oude, Orissa,
and other kingdoms widely separated. Sometimes Krishna is
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 351
sail! to have indulged in this transformation of castes for liis
own special amusement, as for instance, when, in one of his
inciirnations as a holy sage dwelling in Southern India, he
caused the sea to rccetle fnmi the mainland, and tlius formed the
level coast of Malabar, whither he retreated. Many fishermen
followed him thither, but the sage wearied for the companionship
of Bmhmins, so he determined to raise his followers from their
degraded caste to that for which his righteous soul craved.
Therefore he took their nets, the very nets which had been
instrumental in the destruction of animal life, and untwining
them, he proceetled to manufacture an unlimited supply of cord,
of the orthodox three-fold twist, and therewith invested the
whole male population. It is a remarkable fact that, although
the Malabar Brahmins of the present day try to hold their heads
higher than the purer families who have emigrated thither in
more recent days, and try to ignore their fisher origin, it Ls alluded
to as a well-known fact by a Dutch writer who visited the coast
early in the last centnry. Moreover, they retain many of their
alwriginal customs of the worst chiss, herein a.ssimilating
closely to the neighbouring tribes of Nairs, a race by whom
jK)lyandry is recognized as the orthodox form of weilded lif&
These fisher-priests also retain one trace of their despised origin,
namely, that the casting of a net and catching a fish forms part
of their marriage ceremony,* which, however, they carefully
conceal from Europeans.
One marked characteristic whereby the de-scendants of the
manufactured Brahmins may be distingui.shed from those of pure
Aryan blooil, is by their habitual ministration at the bloodstained
altars of Siva ; the sacrifice of life, and indeed the recognition of
Siva in his character of destroyer, being remnants of alKiriginal
worship, and therefore abhorrent to the true Brahmin, though
admitted as a matter of expediency ; a compromise, whereby in
olden days the aboriginal tribes might l>e attracted within the pale
of the church.
In many districts of India large numbers of Brahmins devote
themselves exclusively to agriculture, and arc accordingly des-
pised by the idler chisses, who declare that in by gone ages their
ancestors forsook the priestly office and gave themselves up to
this degrading work. Nevertheless, the distinctive names they
> OrisM. By W. W. Hunter.
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
V)«iir, such as zamitular or lanJhoIder, seem rather suggestive of
their having simply adhered to the custom of their forefathers.
The peasant Braiimins are .scattered all over the country, some
work as coolies and day-lalxmrers, some as domestic servants,
many are soldiers, others even .serv'e as local police, which is con-
sidere<l as very low work indeed. In the Himalayas several
distinct ra;es are found, .some of whom are shepherds, some
ploughmen, othew will do almost any work, even to carrjdng a
jampan or palampiin, and a very small proportion of them .<eem
t<j hold any especially priestly office. The.se hill Brahmins eat
meat freely, they allow widows to re-marry, and indeed will
themselves marry their deceased brothers’ wives.
In short, everything that can be said on the subject goes to
prove that the generic term of Brahmin is applied indiscriminately
to innumerable totally different races, who hav'e no pretension to
a common ancestry, and who hate and despise one another with
their utmost energy'. Every shade of character is thus included,
from the most lazy and im[)rovident to the most frugal and
hardworking ; every gradation of faith, from the most subtle and
refined which the unaided mind of imui can devi.se, down to the
very grossest and most childish, is alike represented, not by
individuals only, but by distinct clas.ses, with ns little affinity
one for another as oil has for water — however clo.sely they may
be associated, they will never blend.
The highe.st grade of sanctity that the Hindu mind can con-
ceive is emb(xlied in the Coolin Bmhrnin, before whom all other
men Iww down in humble reverence. The highest favour that
can liefall any family is that a Coolin should marry a daughter
of the house. Not that the family cares are thereby lightened.
The damsel never leaves her father's roof, and perhaps may not
behold the face of her husband from one year’s end to the next,
nor does he make her any allowance whatsoever. On the con-
trary, he h.as thenceforth a right to come whenever he pleases to
the house of his fatlier-in-law, and there remain as long as suits
his convenience. Moreover, there is no limit to the number of
families on whom he may confer this inestimable privilege.
There is no doubt that in some cases the favour really does lie in
his marrying the damsel unportioned ; as, to be .still “ an unappro-
priated blessing," at the age of ten years, would be a most terrible
disgrace ; while to marry a man of an inferior caste would be
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TO THE HIMALAYAS. 353
worse .still ; ami at best, an Indian marriage is a mere bsu^uin,
heaitless and soulless, so perhap.s the wives of the Cooliii are
better otr tlian many of their sisters, in that they are left with
their own mothers instead of Ijeing made over to the tender
meieies of an Indian mother-in-law, and sisters-in-law, who rule
the harem with ah.s(dute power. Certainly, it must be a weary
enough lot that genenilly awaits these much bejewelled young
brides, and the sight of an eastern wedding ceremony invariably
called to my mind a story, which, by the w.ay, suggests itself
pretty often in England, where woman’s rights and wontauly
freedoTii of choice are so loudly asserted — a stoiy of a farmer’s
wife explaining to a neighbour how admirably she had married
her daughter, what endless plenishings were in her new house,
how many cows, and sheep, and [ligs, and poultry, to say
nothing of a gig, in which to drive to market, “jist like a leddy,’’
concluding her description with, “ Ou, there’s nae doubt it’s a
grand marriage; an’ it wasna jist for ue thing.” The neighbour
naturally enquired what the «« thing might be, to which her
friend at first seemed unwilling to recur. However, at last she
was brought back to the point, a mere trivial drawback. ‘‘ Weed
ye sec, the pair silly crutur canna * her man!” So I fear
there may be a good many brown brides ivs well as white ones
who canna thole, their lords.
There are some rather amusing stories told of the way in which
covetous thieves have circumvented the Brahmins whom they
dared not rob. t)ne such tells how three thieves once found out
that a Brahmin was coming along a certain road, carrying a goat
on his shoulder. They coveted the goat exceedingly, and agreed
to separate, so that each in turn should meet the holy man, and
salute him with all reverence, 'riien they would suddeidy' feign
disgust and dismay on j>erceiving that he carried on his shoulders
an unclean dog instearl of a goat. Assuredly the holy father
must be mad. So they parted. The first came uf» ns had been
agreed, and feigned unutterable horror. The Brahmin thought
the poor fellow was deranged. When the second met him and
did likewi.se, he began to be somewhat uneond'ortable in his own
secret heart. But when the third accosted him with the same
hon'ible exclamation, the ]>oor Brahmin believed that in very
deed they spoke the truth, and that in punishment for sonic for-
' Tu Iho/f, lo <-iiiliiri'.
VOL II. A A
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
f'ottoii sin GaiU‘sa hml in trutli iitHicU*d liim with madness;
wliereiijion, casting fiway the dubious animal, he fled to the temple
to make atonement. Then the ra.scals laughed among themselves,
and having slain the goat they feiustedto tlieir hearts’ content
As we lei.surely rowed up the stream, stopping from time to
time to make careful dniwing.s from dili'erent jwints, our atten-
tion was aiTCsted by one magnitieent bathing ffhavt of finely
hewn stone, with elalwrate carving, and obviou.>ly new, which
nevertheless had fairly tilted backward, as tliough l>o<lily suitsid-
ing into the river. This was built by Scindia, when he
had ri.sen from his original position as a slipper liearer, to the
high estate of Ids later days, and had determined to ecli|)se all
other f/lutiUs in the holy city. But ala.s for
" TliL* little rift within the lover's lute
That bye and b/e will make the luuste mute.”
It seems that a tinj' streamlet tricklerl along the ground where
tlie buihlers laid their foundation, and instead of allowing a
clinnnel for this insignificant watercourse they simply built over
it. But the little rivulet was not going to l>e ignored ; and
though it worke«l (piietly underground, it was gradually sajtpiing
the foundations of the great new ffhaiit, and ere the finishing
stones were laid, the whole building gradually settled backward,
anil will probably, sooner or later, topple over altogether. This
is the native vei-sion.
Of course no eaithipiakc coidd have occasioned this accident,
for as we already know, Siva, who carries the city on the point
of his trident, has exempted it from all such. One account tells
how the 17//0 id gradually subsided immediately after a terrible
explo.sion of gunjwwder, w'hen seveml boats laden with ammu-
nition accidentally blew up. 1 do not know whether that would
account for the fact that one of the neighbouring temples which
stands in the river is as much off the plumb as the tower of
I’isa, wlnle other buildings half a mile up the stream have as-
sumed much the same angle. Also, that in sundry old engrav-
ings, otherwise strictly accurate, I see another leaning temple
standing still deeper in the water, and evidently in danger of
falling, which it has since done,
As we rowed along, we noticed a vast number of pilgrims,
wearily and painfully making their five-mile circuit sun-wise
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round the holy city, sometimes wading up to tlieir waists in
deep mud, men and women alike lloundering along. Tlie.sc
■were the conscientious ones. Tlie careless and easy-going took
a simpler and drier path within the boiuidar)' of the city.
From opiwsite Scindia’s Ghuvt the view is very grand, Initli up
and down stream. Looking hack we have a verj' tine jialaee of
deep red sandstone, a group of temples with quaint lantern
towers, that is, tall towers eneru.sted with projecting lamp-stands
for festal occasions. Above, on a steep hank overhanging the
stream, towers Anningzebe’s Mosque, and beyond lie gardens
and Imthing i/haiiis without number, and the ruins of the Old
Fort, overlooking the bridge of boats. As you turn to look iijt
tlie river you see in the forcgi-ouud one cluster after another of
conical-.shaited towers of richly carved stone, mostly marked by
the golden trident, that shows them to be the temples of Siva —
that comjile.x deity who, under his title of Mahadeo the great
(lod, is adored as the author of all life, while as Siva he is wor-
shipixs.! with trembling, as the dread destroyer of his own work.
Ileyond his temples comes one like a Chinese jiagiHla. That
is the Nepaulcse temjde. Xe.xt to this is that of the goddess of
small-pox. On the ojijwrsite side of the river is I’amnugger, the
jialace of the great ^laharajah, whose boats of divei-s form,
tloat piist us ; one of them fashioneil and ]>ainted like a peacock.
Before us towers the city, heaped up the steep hill-side, with
long narrow streets of stairs ; more temples, more fine houses,
and green trees.
In the centre stands one great tenqile, |>ainted deep retl, and
pointed all over with gold sjiikes, which is always half veiled
by the brightest blue smoke from the burning r/haiit ju.st beyond,
where I sometimes counted as many as eight or ten funeral j>yres
blazing at once, while the dying lie along the muddy edge of
the river waiting for their order of release. How far that may
l>e occasionally cx))edited by an fiilditional dose of mud, it would
1 r* hard to say. Once there, nothing may again ]>ass their lips
.save a drink of Ganges water, and if they should linger too long,
a little kindly mud is no great hann. Many a wear}’ soul just
crawls to the holy city to end his long jiilgrimage, and attains
the lH)on he craves ; an end of all life’s suffering in the one
great rest for wean’ limbs, and a certain welcome to the
longed-for heaven. What more can he desire ? Are there not
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
scores of lioly Brahmins as rearly to speed tlie dying on their
way as to absolve the living, pn)ini8ing rest for the wesiry,
pardon for all sin, and blessings without number in return for
offerings aud priestly fees ? So the sick and the aged whose
hour is supposed to have come, are laid on the brink of the
river, and their relations wait with apparently the utmost
apathy, while I’ariah dogs and biixls of ]>rey watch eagerly for
the moment when their horrible carnival may begin.
I am not now speaking of the burning i/haut. Those who
bring their relations here are jffoluibly rich enough to burn
them, and while the dying slowly breathe their la.st breath on
the hallowed shore, their friends repair to the wood-merchant
close by, and buy as much wood as they can affonl. Some-
times they can only get enough to char the lasly, which is then
cast into the river aud floats down the lazy current together
with many another, in every stage of putrefaction, sjaeuding
the seed of pestilence on the quiet air. And so it comes to
pn.ss that you cannot row up the stream without your boat or
your oar again ami again coming in contact with an unsightly
bloated mu.ss, once Imnian ; a xomdhing who.se late inmate has
doubtless solved all the mysteries at which in his own strange
way he worked so hanl. The boatmen look with the utmost
indifference at these common objects of the strejun and shore,
and giving them a shove with their oars to prevent their
Ijecoming entangled with the boat, send them on their unrestful
course.
Just imagine how frightfully this system of disposing of
the dead must tend to the spread of cholera and other diseases !
It is bad enough to know that the i>eople coming from in-
fected houses are in the daily habit of wa.shing their clothes
and 4x11 manner of vessels, at the very edge of the wells ami tanks
into which, of course, the foul water is at once drained. But
the rivers fare still worse, for into them are Ciist the very botlies
wherein fever and cholera fiends have held triumphant revel,
and wherein they still lurk, hatching fresh mischief, and sending
forth other sj)irits as vicious as themselves in search of fresh
victims.
Of course it is the usual story of poverty' revenging itself on
its nn.symjuithizing rich neighbours, for in the case of the
wealthier Hindu, the funeral pyre is carefully’ built, and when
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tlie cor])se lia.s lieen washed in tlie river it is swathed in fair
linen, white or scarlet — or still more often tlie shroud is
of the sacred saffron colour, on which is showered a hand-
ful of vermilion paint to synilwlize the blood of sprinkliiiff
as the atonement for sin. Sometimes the hoily is wrapjied
in cloth of silver or of gold, and is laid upon the jiyre.
Dry sweet gra.s.s is then laid over it, and jirecioiis anointing
oil which shall make the flame burn more brightly ; and more
wood is heaped on till the pyre is very high. A Brahmin then
brings sacred fire and gives a lighted torch to the chief mourner,
who then walks thrice or nine times sun-wise round the body.
He touches the lips of the dead with the holy fire, then lights
the pyre. Other torches are applied simultaneously, and in a
very few moments the iHidy is burnt, though the fire smoulders
long. Then the ashes are collected and sprinkled on the sacred
river, which carries them away on its bosom. Night and
day this work goes on without ceasing, and many a weird
funereal scene you may chance to see as you journey through
the latid, when the pale, <;old moonlM-ams mingle with the dim
blue flames; and a luriil glare from the pale, livid fire falls on
the withered, witch-like forms, and lean, lanky limbs of the
mourners, often a group of grey-haired women, whose shrill
wails atid jiiercing cries ring through the night, while they
circle round the pyre, suggesting some spirit datice of death.
'When the body Inus iK-en c(nisume<l, all tlie mourners come
dowti to the river, lajating their brea.sts and lunvling, and pna'ced
to wash them.selves atid their clothes, and go through divers
ceremonies of purificntion neces.sary after touching a dead
IkhIv.
Close by a ]>retty ceremony is going on. A gaily-dre.ssed
family party, including every member, from the old gnindfather
to the youngest child, have come to the brink of the river to
give thanks and offerings to the goddess (.Jangii, on the occasion
of a Iwy having been shaved for the first time. Not his bearxl,
for not the silkiest down suggests such a future decoration, but
his hea<l has been shorn of all its locks, save the small tuft
allowed hy his caste ; and the [>oor little animal magnificently
dressed stalks along in all the conscious pride of manhood, and
casts his offerings of flower's and coins and sweetmeats into the
stream.
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ST.S
Meanwhile a very gay Mahratta marriage-party has assembled
on the next platform which projects as a pier into the river.
The young couple are a very small Itoy and girl gorge<jusly
dressed. They are so close to us that we can count every ring
in the little bride’s ears, nose, and toes. The tiny bride and
bridegroom are tied together by a scarlet scarf. For awhile
they sit silently gazing into the water, supposed to be making
jvtojah, that is, worshijipiiig ; and the stillness is only broken by
the cries of a burying party, who pass just behind them, bearing
a corp.se shoulder high, vyliich they are carrying to the burning
ghaut just beyond, whence a thick cloud of blue smoke i.s for
ever rising in the calm sunshine.
The shaving party have now gone on their way rejoicing, and
on the pl.stfonu where they strsvi a iieM’ group ha.s now airiveil,
ln*aring something in a .sheet. That .something is a cor]>se, car-
ried miles perhaps to be washed in the holy (iange.s. The
mourners do their work slowly and delilK-nitely, and the mar-
riage ])arty take no heed of their neighlwurs, for though in any
other land such meetings would be deemed evil omeu.s, here
they are the common things of daily life and excite no comment
whatsoever. Perhaps they lend to the feast that strange incen-
tive to plea.surc which the old Kgyptians sought to intro<liice,
when at their merry fe.stivals they handed round an exquisitely
carved ivory skeleton in a small sarcophagus— and sometimes
even carried in a genuine mummy — to remind the guests how
short a time they had for mirth, and bid them make the most
of it. Death at the fciLst 1 — a strange, piquant sauce to lend
new zest to jailed appetites I
Meanwhile the children have .said their little prayer, and
have cast on the water their garlands of roses and marigolds,
their handful of coins, a little grain, and some other olferings,
and Ganga in return gives her blessing to their marriage.
M bile young life is thus lieginning to work out its endUis-s
jiroblem, one who has solved all its mysteries comes tloiiting
])ast, with dead eyes fixed, in horrid, lifeless stare. And the
bridal wreaths of crimson and golden blossoms, which the child-
bride and her little lord have just otfered to the river goddess,
are drawn by the eddying currents till they circle round the
dead ; and one fresh, lovely garland clings to his head as a crown.
And so, swiftly and silently, life and death float together down
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tlic smootli, solemn stream — the oM story, “ the Sjiirit of Life
ever weavin<;, tlie Spirit of Death ever nnweaviii}' ” — ^just as
they have done thron"h countless ages ; while new genenitions
till the place of those who are gone as swiftly and as surely as
flesh flood.s pour down from the mountains, for ever hurrying
onward to the sea, yet for ever flowing in the same channel ; so
that the pilgiim returns, year after year, to find the same hroad
hrimniing river all unchanged. Thus, as our Ijoat lay moonal at
any .sjwt where it might jdeasc u.s to halt, this stream of life
flowed pa.st us, ever vaiying; youth and age, sorrow and joy,
life and death in strangest comhinalion. And all day long,
mingling w'ith the shar|) cries of the white and brown kites" that
floated ladween us and the sun, or quarrelled noisily over some
precious find of dainty offal, the ceaseless clang and murmur
from the countless temples a.ssailed our ears; trumpets, sitaA'/i.s
(shells), tomtoms, and hig dnuns mingling their horrid di.s-
sonance. Verily ! it is a holy eity. Hut withal, so marvellously
interesting, ]in'senting each moment some strangely jiicturesipie
incident, utterly unex}>eeted, as if that wonderful kaleidoscope
never could exhaust its curious comhinations.
As to giving you the faintest idea of Ikmare-s hy mere descrip-
tion, the attempt is too ludicrous. Among the commonplace
scenes of daily iloinestic life are the groups of veiled, jewelled
women for ever passing u[i and down those long stairs to fill
their red earthenware jara with water, which they [toise on their
heads, having jierhaps also a child a.slride on the maternal side.
Othei-s are busied in scouring their brazen vo.ssels, which gleam
in the sun like burnished gold. One small incident of jiarental
discipline amuseil us considerably. A boy had ln'cn sent down
to fill his great red jar, but the temptations of the river had l>eeu
too much for him, and ho lingeml till his angry father came in
search of him, and administered .summary justice. The poor
little wretch howled for mercy, and on lieing ivlea.sed, tilled his
jai’j and jioising it on his head, slowly ascended that long, long
,stair; his father following close, and administering a shar]>
“sjiank ” at every steji. Poor child ! it was very cruel of us to
laugh, but the absurdity of the scene was irresistible.
All day long boats of every description floated past us ; some-
times crowding all their cpiaint sails — jmre white, or tattered, as
the case might l>e; multitudes of large house-ltoats, thatched
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FROM THE HEBRIDES
with straw or hamhoo — tlie sole Itoiiie jHTliaps of a lar>;e fninily ;
otliers latlc.n with <train or with cotton, and steenal by enormous
rudders. Little pleasure-boats of every sort or kind pass to and
fro, fidl of ^'aily-dre.ssed ]K.'ojile, or else Iwarino )>il<;ribis to the
ojiposite shore. Sometimes men swim across, brinoiuf; with
them a raft, whereon are set their milk jars. In olden days
palanquins and travellers were thus floated across the river on
a raft made of earthenware ves.sels tied tooether, while all the
bearers swam, and lent a hand to onide the raft. Now, however,
most people wonhl prefer taking a longer round, and coming
acroas the bridge of boats.
One pleasant feature of our days on the river was’the excel-
lent supply of fruit which was daily sent by our kind Itajah.
In fact, there was always a first-rate I>reakfast, or rather d^jeunrr
a la foitrchclte, rtaidy for us at any moment when we couhl spare
time for anything so commonjdace as eating and drinking.
What we chielly enjoyed wiis the capitid hot tea. On the last
day, however, as we were finishing our breakfiust, a thought
fla.shed acro.ss us too horrilile for utterance. We looked at
one another in blank dismay ; and every face e.x|>ressed the
same mute di.sgu.st Whence had the water lieen drawn
to fill our little kettle ? Was there any room for doubt — one
lingering Iiojhj that mit of deference to our feelings it had been
brought from some pure well ? or that reverence for the great
goddess Ganga, had i)revented her being converted into tea for
unbelievers .> Alas! there was no chance for such a thing.
There was no doubt that we, like mo.st of our neighlKuirs, had
unwittingly swallowed our jwck of dirt — had involuntarily
incorporated a very large amount of es.sence of Hindu. There
was nothing for it but resolutely to determine to forget the fact
with all iMi.ssible s]>eed — a resolution more easily made than
kc|)t.
Several times when we returned from the river in the
evenings, the kind old Uajah came to .see us, and, leaving his
gold-wrought slippers at the door, wmild sit chatting quite
ha[ipily for a good rvhile. Of course, I could not understand
him, but a little interpreting made the conversation general ;
and it was pleasant to watch the benevolent exprassion of a
face that always remiinled me of some .saintly bishop. I con-
fess it was a great shock to my feelings, on going to return his
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visit, to see that dear old face painted with streaks and caste
marks, received that mornin" at liis teinide. lie received us
with all ceremony in a lar^e handsome house, took us to tlie
roof to see the view, adorned us with large silver harrs (neck-
laces of silver ribbon, plaited), and offering us (lx!tel-mil)
and canlamoms, chatted on all manner of subjects, while his
confidential servants, our tru.sty guides and watch-dogs, looked
on with evident intere.st, very anxious that we should l)e duly
impressed by everything. They were men of just the .same
stiunp as the faithful, trusty Highland refainei's of olden day.s —
such men as we still happily find from time to time — attached
old servants.
I did not ventuie to a.sk for “ the house,” meaning the women-
kind, as I could not have talked to them ; so when we had said
o.ir say. Sir Deo himself escorted us back to his own carriage,
his servants looking on admiringly. The good old man was a.s
anxious to ensure our church-going on Sunday, as all other
/>/oys of the week. He knew the exact hours of morning and
evening service, and insisted on sending us there in the usual
state, though we ventured to plead that for so short a distance
we might surely walk. So from first to last there was no end to
his kindiu^ss, the remembrance of which ranks very high amongst
hajipy memories of India.
Amoirgst my many jdea.sant reminiscences of Benares was a
chance railway ac(|uuiirtance with a very charming Knglish-
woman — one of the ladies of the Zenana Mi.ssion — who.se life-
work it is to fraternize with as many of lier Hindu susters as
care to welcome her to their homes, and the.se are legion, and
then try to impart to them some of the commoner branches of
civilized education. It is only of late years that such a thing
has Irecome jiossible, a-s hitherto learning of any sort has beeit
forbidden to idl women of gofxl character, and a knowle<lge of
reading, writing, singing, or dancing, has marked those damsels
only who were essentially “fast.” Thus, anything more ilull
than the home-life of a Hindu matron could scarcely Ik* devised.
She may cook for her husband, but may not eat in his ))re.sence ;
nor may she even speak to him in presence of his mother or
sisters, who rule the house, in which she is but a cijdier. Very
few even know how to sew.
Now a new era seems dawning on these dull lives. Midti-
VOI.. II. B B
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tnilc« ari! learnin*' to read and to write, and the “ Zcusiiux
liiilics” receive a cordial welcome wherever they go, ami are
ot'leii invited to extend their visits to new houses, of rn li
nii'rchiuits and great men. Some, even of the influential Ihyahs,
have formally admitted them to visit " their house,” as they sjiy
to avoid (;ven a distant allusion to their feminine relations, and
seem well ideiLsed that their women-folk sliould now l>egin to
cultivate their itiinds after the manner of their white sisters.
Hitherto, when anyone ventured to suggest such a jKissibility as
that of allowing dark women the same fmedom as white ones,
the men would .scout the idea, declaring that they would tie
utterly incapalile of using it. Now little hy little they seem to
Ik* admitting the thin end of the wedge, and allowing the first
glimmer of light to enter into tho.se Zenanas, in which their
sons anil daughters are Isdiig reared. Who can tell how this
may act on the next generation ?
,As regards the intellect of the women of India, there have
already lieen a suflicieiit mimlHir of notahle examjdes among
such as have from time to time daied to escajie from the
trammels of their early training, and to assert their own fuiwers
of thought and action. The writings of Avyar, a female
philosopher of the ninth century, are to this day taught in the
'1‘amul schools, and am classed among the standard works of the
land.
'riiei-e are also countless instances of clever wives and mothers
of |irini*es, w ho have ruled the dominions of sons or hushands
with readier wit and sti-onger arm than these could own. Such
was the late liegum of Hhopal, who did not sr-ruple to lead her
own armies to the field, ami even to appear in council in
pre.scnce of Eurojieans with unveiled face ; a jiroceeding which
.scandali/ed and shocked some of her followers, though it was
admitted that they rather liked the shock !
Nor dm*s then* seem any ma.son to doubt that the most intel-
lectual of all games, which even to this day is deemed worthy
exerci.se for the brains of our wi.se.st men — I mean clie.ss — wa.s
invented by an Indian Queen, by name Wandodan^e; she was
the Kanee of Havana, King of Ceylon, who is said to have
n*igned two thousand years lietbre the t^hristian eni. It wius to
lH*guile her lord, during the tedious siege of his capital by Hama,
bind although the sole object of that siege was the rescue of
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liiimii’s Iwautiful wife from the liamls of Kavaiia), that this
jicarl of wives devise<i tliis immortal game as a meet pastime for
Ii(>r warrior lord. Certain it is that for four thousand yearn
eliess has been common througiiout Hindustan, whence it spread
into I’ersia and Arabia. The Calij)hs of the East carried it
thence into Spain, whence it rapidly spread over Western
Europe, and so found its way into England.
Its ancient Sanskrit name was Chatunuiga, or Four Parts, and
the game was playetl by four j>erson.s, two against two. Tlie
laiard wiis divided into sixty-four squares. Among the Persians
the name was changed to Sliatranj ; S/iah being, as we all know,
the Persian for king. The Arabic Sheik seems to have been the
word imported to Euro])e by the Motjrs, whence comes tlie term
check, or its German equivalent schach. The woitl Hook is said
to be derived from the Sanskrit roka, or the Persian rukh,
meaning a cheek;' while Pawn is sinqily the word Peon, .still in
common use for certain attendants.
I fear, however, that the Begum was not tlie sole claimant for
the honour of this invention. It is said that the game wa.s
common among the Egyjilians of old, and that records thereof
have been found in hieroglyjihic ; their boanl consisted of thirty
black and white squares ; their pieces were twelve in minilier,
maile of ivory, glass, and china, carved in the forms of divers
animals. Tlie game apjiears again among the sculptures in the
caves of Beni llassan, on the Xile, and also on the wall paint-
ings of the palace of Hanieses 111., where the king is shown
.seated with a paity of ladies, one of whom is his iwrtner in the
game, which is played with pieces formed like pegs on a
cheipiered l.ioard. This seems to have amu.sed some ancient
Egyptian wag, for there is a papyrus in the British Museum
wherein the King and Queen are audaciously caricatured, and
represented as a lion and a unicorn playing the same game. It
has also been found represented on divers tombs, on one of
which it is shown to be the engrossing occupation of calm,
meditative sjiirits in another world. Even Isis does not disdain
to ])lay it with the departed king.s.
Our days at Benares were over. Once again we devoted a
long morning to sightseeing in the wonderful city. Then once
more crossing the bridge of boats, w'e found oureelves in the
* Sli’jih ni*at, or cl.pcknmte, means “tlie King is tiejnl.”
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FROM THE HEBRIDES, ETC.
nineteenth century, and in the stahles of tlie great ii’on horse,
which bore us swiftly away from a life that seemed rather like
some curious dream than like the common everyday existence
of myriads of ordinary mortals. We caught one glimpse of the
old Fort of Chunar, of which we would fain have had a nearer
sight. It is a strong fortress, built on a fine freestone clitt,
rising abruptly from the plain, and jutting into the river. A
few hours more, and we were again in Allahabail, encamjHjtl in a
great tent l>eneath shady nefiii trees. A week later hniiid us
whirling along by rail to Bombay, halting only at Jubbulfsire to
see tlie far-famed marble-rocks, which rise like gleaming walls
on either side of the clear green watere of the Nerbudda. One
more ex[)edition through the beautifully wotxled mountain
country near Bombay to 1‘oonah, and one long day sjteut in
exploring the wondrous rock temple on the Isle of Eleplianta,
and then we Iwde adieu to the beautiful Indian land.
FINIS.
LiiSOOJI : R. CLilT. 1MVLOH, rKl>Tt:ilK, IIKHAI> STHKi:; Mll.t.
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